Saffron's fantasy life
by Miko 2495
Summary: Two years after defeating Corvus, something terrible happens that causes Saffron to flee from home. Now, she lives in another world where she encounters a gold talking...butterfly?
1. Chapter 1

**This** _ **was**_ **going to be the third book of my little series (after Bravely Default) but I scrapped that idea for a reason I cannot remember. So here's the REAL sequel of the DQ9 fanfic.**

 **Disclaimer: I do NOT own the plot of Fantasy Life, just my OC Saffron**

 **Have fun!**

* * *

Chapter 1

The sun shone brightly upon a town and its rays leaked through a pair of cream-coloured windows and lit up the attic room. On the bed was a lump under the duvet. The lump squirmed a little, emitting a moan from a female. Then…

 _THUD!_

A brown girl rolled off the bed and landed on the hard wooden floor. The girl opened her red eyes and winced at the pain on her behind. "Ow, ow, ow," she muttered, "That's the last time I'm drinking apple cider before bed."

Suddenly, a big woman burst into the room and questioned, "Saffron! What happened? Are you hurt!?"

"Um…" was all Saffron could say. She couldn't just tell her care-taker that she had a dream about going to the bar and getting drunk with her friends. So she just answered, "D-Don't worry, Pam. Just a nightmare."

Pam sighed in relief. She was worried that one of those stones fell from the sky or that Saffron fell through the roof. "Oh!" the woman gasped as she just remembered something, "That reminds me, is it true that you finally chose a Life?"

The girl completely forgot about that. Last night, she chose to be a Hunter because she wanted to explore the world and have fun. Pam then handed her a fancy envelope that came from the king. Inside was a letter telling her to go to the palace after she got her licence.

After dressing herself in her skirt and blouse, she went outside and breathed in the fresh air. She smiled for it has almost been two years since she got her powers back from a Fygg, a month since the 'incident' and a month since Pam took her in from the streets despite her origins. She has changed since then. Her body has grown a bit taller with a slender built. Her eyes were now blood red and her wavy hair grew from the small of her back to just above her thighs and it became a tad unruly due of her carelessness towards it.

In all honesty, girl loved this world more than the world she was raised in. It was more colourful and, people there was unpredictable and you can be whoever you want. _'I wouldn't mind living here,'_ Saffron thought with a giggle. She made her way to the Guild Office and collected her Hunter's licence.

"EEEEK!"

A high pitch scream was heard from outside followed by, "Please! Don't hurt me!"

"Like we're gonna get you get away with it!" a gruff voice bellowed.

Saffron sighed and went outside to see what the commotion was. She found two men ganging up against a tiny butterfly. The girl grumbled, "I've should've known."

The two men was known as Pierre and Butch the she knows them as regulars of the local bar. The two are brothers and are often causing trouble for the townspeople. Saffron walked to the trio and demanded, "Oi! Leave the poor creature alone, will you?"

Pierre looked at her and sneered, "Well, isn't it the 'Red-eyed she-wolf'. Better mind your own business, little girl."

"Well, it seems to me that you haven't learned your lesson from your defeat last night."

The butterfly then spoke in a voice of a young girl. "I thank you for your concern," she said, "But I must handle these ruffians by myself."

Angered by what she said, Pierre was going to yell but the brown girl closed the gap between them in intense speed and got him into a wrist-lock. In a low and threatening voice, she warned him not to cause any more trouble or else she will show him no mercy. After the two men left, the butterfly thanked Saffron again for her help before fluttering towards the king's palace. Saffron knew that butterfly was special mainly because it literally gives out a golden glow and it can talk. _'I just know we're gonna bump into each other again.'_ She thought as she made her way to the castle.

When she got to the castle, she was about to go to the throne room when she was stopped by the two guards standing beside the door. "Halt!" one of them demanded, "You cannot see the king dressed like that. It's informal. Wear a bow or something and we _might_ let you in."

She cocked up an eyebrow. Are they seriously blocking her way just because she's not wearing a bow? Saffron refrained herself from sighing and pinching her nose. As if on cue, she heard a tiny voice screaming, "You meanie!"

The girl turned around to see the gold butterfly from earlier arguing with the minister. The old man were flustered as if he didn't know how to deal with the situation. She walked up to the two and inquired, "What's going on here?"

"Oh, it's you," the butterfly said before accusing, "This guy's being a meanie!"

"Nobody's being mean," the minister countered, "The king just doesn't have time to speak to insects."

When the minister walked away and was out of ear-shot, the butterfly fumed about how mean the people at the castle were when an idea popped into her head. She fluttered onto the girl's neck and pretended to be a bowtie. The girl doubted that the guards were that stupid but surprisingly, they were. The two easily slipped passed the two guards and got into the throne room where they met the king.

To their surprise, the king was short and chubby…kind of like a child. The crown was obliviously too big for him and his stubby legs cannot touch the floor.

"Greetings," the king proudly said with a loud voice that belong to a child, "I am King Erik of Castele. I assume you know why you're here."

As the kind went on with his speech, Saffron could not help but notice something was out of place, as if something seemed to be missing. The king then noticed something was missing sighed agitatedly, "I see my daughter went out without the guards…again."

His wife, Queen Ophelia, giggled, "Oh Erik."

Ophelia's giggle made him blush and look away, "I'll sort it out later. For now, again, I congratulate you on choosing a Life. Now go forth and live your dreams."

After the meeting with the king, Saffron left the place and the butterfly hopped off Saffron's neck. She told her before fluttering off again. She didn't get far when she stopped. "U-Um…" the small insect stuttered, "It's great that you got new clothes and all but…don't you feel little bare around the neck?"

"No." Saffron replied bluntly.

The latter stayed silence before confessing, "Listen…I thought we could go our separate ways but being a butterfly is not an easy life, you know? So…is it okay if I can travel with you?"

' _Great. Another fairy companion,'_ Saffron thought with sarcasm. After her experience with Stella, the red-eyed female wasn't too keen on tiny companions. But then again, this butterfly seemed nice enough her calm aura was refreshing. Coming to a conclusion, Saffron agreed to take the butterfly with her. The butterfly was happy and introduce herself as Flutter and the two set went back to Saffron room to rest. While they were there, Saffron was trying on the Hunter clothes the king gave her and saying how hard they were to move around in when Pam then entered with two boxes. She informed Saffron that they were delivered to her shortly after she left for the king. The young girl looked into one of the boxes and saw that it was full of clothes. On top of the clothes was a note saying:

 _To my dearest little niece_

 _I hope you are enjoying your new home. I miss you very much. As a gift, I've sent these two boxes full of clothes from a world called "Luxendarc" and I'll know you'll like them._

 _Hope to see you soon_

 _Love_

 _Your Uncle_

"I wonder who it could be," Flutter wondered aloud.

Tears threatened to spill from the girl's eyes as she knew who it was from.

Fate.

It has been a month since she saw him in person but every now and then he write letters to her to tell her how things are at home. Saffron missed him as much as she missed her three friends; Sulina, Renia and Miu.

She picked out a few clothes from the box and changed into them. She was now wearing a white collared shirt with crests on the shoulders, a brown ankle length skirt over her black stockings knee-length leather boots and a red sash tied around her waist as a belt and to hold her pouch. _'Pretty comfy,'_ Saffron thought with a smile, relieved that she was wearing something easy to move around in. The duo then left to meet her teacher.

"So…" a red-haired woman called Fern queried as Saffron stood in front of her, "You wanna be a Hunter, right?" seeing Saffron nod, Fern then sighed, "Sorry kid, ain't taking anymore student. I-"

"The Guild Office sent me." Saffron interrupted with a blank stare.

Fern seemed surprised and sighed gave her a bow, "Ugh. Fine. But before I can take you as pupil, I need you to know how to use a bow so go and see my other pupil (if I can call him that), Pete. He should be in the sheep pen."

So, Saffron went to the sheep pen to see a chubby boy just waking up from a nap. He introduced himself as Pete and that since Fern was strict about taking in pupils, he had to pull a few strings. "Speaking of pulling strings," he bragged, "You will need to practice long and hard if you want to have god-like skills like me."

That statement made Saffron mentally face-palm and thought with cynicism, _'Good grief. It's another Ivor!'_

Pete then instructed her to destroy the wooden target with her bow. The black-haired Hunter got an arrow from a nearby quiver. She firmly placed the base on the string and pulled it back before letting go. It was no surprise to her that the arrow sliced through the air with lightning speed and hit the target dead in the middle and breaking it into little splinters. She didn't need to see Pete's face as she knew that his jaw was hanging loose. Granny Cotton, the little old lady sitting by the fence, cackled with glee, "Ha ha haa! It has been a long time since I last saw an arrow fly like that. Maybe it _you_ that needs to practice long and hard, Pete."

Pete retorted, "I-I don't need practicing! I'm just waiting for the right time, that's all."

"Suuure," Granny Cotton replied, rolling her eyes.

Saffron then noticed an old man lying on the ground. She questioned the two and learnt that he collapsed due to hunger and he need some honey and went off to get some along with Pete.

They got to a tree with some honeycombs on it and before they could reach it, they were attacked by a couple honeybees. Saffron drew some arrows and commanded, "Pete! I need to help me to…Pete?"

Unfortunately, the boy had already ran away from the sight of the monsters, leaving Saffron alone. "Figures," Saffron breathed and readied her bow for the attack. The honeybees charged at her and she dodged both them before striking them both with one shot.

"Bravo," Pete cheered as he left his hiding place, "That was awesome."

"And where was _you_ when I was attacked?" Saffron inquired.

"Oh…I-I was just testing your skill," Pete chuckled nervously, "You _are_ a newbie after a-"

 _WHAM!_

Poor Pete didn't know what hit him and the next thing he knew, he was rolling on the ground with his hands between his tightly closed legs and small whimpers left his mouth. Saffron just walked away and mumbled, "Some things just never change."

They got back to the sheep pen and fed the hungry Hunter who was back his feet instantly. He then explained that he collapsed due to hunger because he was hunting a Hootwink for three days without eating or sleeping. "Who on Earth would do that?!" Pete explained, "I wouldn't do something so crazy,"

"Judging by your stomach," Saffron retorted, "I'd say it's because you eat like a pig."

Pete glared while Granny Cotton cackled again, "She hit the nail on the head on that one. I'm liking this kid already."

The old Hunter (whose name was Fletcher) then suggested that the two students should hunt down and defeat the Hootwink and bring back one of its feathers. But then considered to be a bit of a challenged for a pair of beginners. Fern said the same thing when Pete went to her and explained what happened. She thought the task was too hard for them but after some consideration, she announced, "Whoever finds the Hootwink first and brings back of its feathers will move up the ranks and officially become my student."

Thrilled by the golden opportunity that fell before him, Pete dashed off, eager to find the monster first. Fern and Saffron sighed simultaneously before the other student rushed after him.

Saffron soon found him at an opening where he had a disappointed look. Pete saw her and stated, "There's no Hootwinks here. You can look all you like, you're just going to waste your time."

Pete walked away from the scene and Flutter floated away from Saffron's head and surveyed the area. It was empty save for one pot. The butterfly flapped towards the pot and inspected the object, "Well…there's nothing her-"

She suddenly heard a loud screech and looked up just in time to see a sharp beak rushing towards her. In a state of panic, Flutter sped away, screaming. Saffron heard this and spun around, arrow ready. But when the Hootwink screeched again, the girl winced and staggered a little. She cursed under breath as a high pitch droned on in her ears. Suddenly, barking was heard from the distance and Fern's dog, Lucky, came bounding in the scene. He sensed danger and rushed to the rescue. The dog leapt into the air and pierced the owl in the wing with his claws. The Hootwink was surprised by the sudden attack and flapped its wings as fast as it could to get away from the fierce animal. Saffron's smiled wearily as she felt a migraine increasing in her head. Flutter then saw a coal coloured feather floating down from the sky and caught it with her tiny legs.

The trio then returned with the feather. Fern was quite surprised at the result. She wasn't expecting Saffron to get the feather so quickly. Later, Pete arrived and he was devastated to know that he lost to a beginner. "Because Saffron has completed the task," Fern announced to Granny Cotton and Fletcher, "She's officially my pupil. But unlike the rest of them, she won't be learning from me. Saffron going to learn everything about being a Hunter through life itself as it hold many secrets. Now, go forth and learn to be one with nature."

Pam was in the kitchen making dinner when Flutter flew in through the window. The woman smiled and greeted, "Why hello, dear. How was your day?"

"It was fine but…" the butterfly started but trailed off.

Pam said no more. She knew it has something to do with Saffron because earlier, she went to her room without saying anything and her face had a sullen expression. Pam told Flutter that it has happened before and the best thing to do at this point is leave the girl alone. However, that made Flutter even more worried as she knew that whatever is making her friend so sad is worse than the migraine.

* * *

The Goddess Celestria looked into the night sky in regret. After happened a month ago, she has not heard a word from her champion. She knew what she did was bad but she did it for the sake of Saffron's happiness. Never had she expected it for all to go downhill. Tears fell from her crystal blue eyes as she whispered to the moon, "I'm so sorry."

* * *

 **So here's the first chapter. I hope you like it :3**

 **BTW: Luxendarc is the world of Bravely Default, which doesn't belong to me.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Second chapter of my new favourite game :3**

 **Disclaimer: I do NOT own the plot of Fantasy Life, just my OC Saffron**

 **Have fun!**

* * *

Chapter 2

Fate glared at the blonde goddess before him. He was angry at the whole situation. He growled, "Why? Why did you do that!?"

Celestria was clearly upset as well as she was holding back her tears. She regretted what she did but at the time, she thought it was for the best. How was she supposed to know it would come to this? She said to Fate, "It's not my fau-"

"It _is_ your fault!" the prince of time and chance countered, "If you just have told her the truth in the first place, this wouldn't have happened."

The woman opened her mouth to say something but quickly closed it as she knew what Fate said in true. Her heart filled with regret as tears fell from eyes. She can only hope pray that she will be forgiven.

* * *

The morning sun was up once again as Saffron was peacefully sleeping in her bed when she felt something light on her head. She slowly opened her eyes as she heard a small voice asking, "Are…are you awake?"

The girl mumbled and sat up and Flutter glided to her knees. She covered her mouth with one hand as she yawned, "What's up?"

Flutter seemed nervous but she got her courage and said that she wanted to learn more about Reveria and was wondering if Saffron can show her around Castele. The girl rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked down on the butterfly, "You wanna know more of Reveria? Now that I think about, I don't know much myself. Okay, let's go."

She got dressed in her shirt and skirt and left the room.

They went to the town square where Saffron inquired Flutter where she wanted to go to first. The tiny creature then flew to the fountain where a statue of a young woman. From what Pam told her, it was named the Goddess Statue…and that was it. It was like the Celestrian Statue back home but the only difference that the woman's smile made Saffron warm and happy inside as if the smile was real like she had seen it before.

"So this is the Goddess Statue," Flutter mused, "She's beautiful."

"She is," a nearby elderly man agreed, "In fact, this is the Life Goddess."

The old man then explained that long ago, the goddess saved Reveria from destruction. He doesn't know all the details but the world was once threatened the people often prayed for a miracle. Hearing their prayers, the Goddess used her powers and saved Reveria by granting their wishes.

"Wishes?" Flutter repeated in confusion.

"Aye," the old man replied, "She was also known as the 'Goddess of Wishes'. After everyone was saved, they started to visit her to have their wishes granted. However, when the workload was too much, the Goddess suddenly had a thought: what if these people had the power to grant each other's wishes? So, she made lots of various jobs which we now call…"

"A Life!" the butterfly exclaimed with happiness, "That is why she's called the Life Goddess."

The man chuckled at her enthusiasm but added that nowadays, there are less wishes being granted than before.

When Flutter asked why, Saffron crossed her arms and answered, "Because youngsters are too bloody lazy to get off their backside and take up a Life. Remember Pete from yesterday?"

The memory of the boy lazing in the sheep pen instead of training was proof that what Saffron said is true. "I-If that's the case," Flutter announced, "I will travel the world and hear people's wishes! The maybe, just maybe, people will begin to understand the true splendour of every Life."

' _Like a genie?'_ Saffron thought.

The old man chuckled again and commented how the butterfly sounded like the Goddess herself. Flutter then asked Saffron what her wish would be. This took girl by surprise since she never wished for anything but if there was one this she wished for it would be…

"…to find my true home," Saffron answered with a smile.

Flutter was confused but pushed it aside for now. The two females thanked the old man for their lesson and went on their way.

After Saffron showed Flutter the Guild Office and the Artisans' District, they then went to explore the Shopping District. While the two was walking and talking, a young female Paladin with her violet hair in a ponytail grabbed Saffron's arm and greeted with a grin, "Hey Saffron"

The said girl stopped and looked at the Paladin and grinned as well, "Morning Isobel. Sup?"

Isobel was one of Saffron's friends in Castele. She's also her rival with it comes to combat. The strangest thing is her appearance and personality is similar to her friend in her old home, Renia Loveheart. The Paladin let go off Saffron's arm and, "Me and Roslyn are planning a girls' night out. You in?"

Saffron furrowed her brows and pointed out, "Didn't we do that last week and Hazel used her magic to lift up our skirts?"

"Please don't remind me," Isobel grimaced, clearly embarrassed about the event.

The Paladin then explained to her friend that Roslyn felt left out since she was the newest and youngest of the group (Hazel's older than her by three days) and being the older sister, Isobel wants to make Roslyn feel welcome. The Hunter was still sceptical since she was pretty sure Roslyn just turned eighteen and hasn't drunk alcohol before then. Isobel then mentioned that Monika was going to be there which put Saffron's mind at ease knowing that the wood-cutter daughter's going to be there. "I'll be there," she replied before leaving Isobel.

She then showed Flutter the East Grassy Plains where monsters roam. The butterfly looked around, fascinated on how big the fields are. She then spotted a nearby soldier. Wanting to know more about the place, Flutter flew up to him but to her disappointment, the man was snoozing while using his spear. The tiny creature tried to wake him up to no avail. Saffron had an idea and sneaked up to his before yelling, "Up and at 'em, solider!"

This clearly scared the paladin as he jolted up and saluted, "My apologises, Sir!"

He looked around for his probably angry general and only found a girl and a butterfly, "W-Wha? You're not Captain Mustang."

"We wanna know about the Grassy Plains." Flutter announced.

The soldier was startled by the talking butterfly. He then gave a brief explanation. When he mentioned monsters, it reminded Saffron something. She took out her bow and aimed an arrow at the nearest White Woolie and fired it. It hits its target and the creature vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving a small bag and a tiny pouch of behind. Flutter panicked about the creature but Saffron assured her that the Woolie is not killed but rather sent back to its starting point. She then looked inside the pouch to see some Mutton inside. "Just what Pam ordered." She smiled. The Hunter then took Flutter back home and since the sun was setting, she settled the butterfly into bed and gave Pam the meat to cook for tonight's dinner before heading to the pub.

"Hey Saffy," Isobel asked as she noticed the gloomy look on her friend's face, "Why so down? You haven't even touched your food or drink."

Saffron traced her finger around the rim of her glass mug. She originally planning to all out tonight but a thought came to her head yesterday and was bugging her ever since. "Remember when I said the one trusted lied to me?" the girl said in a small sad voice, "What if I was in the wrong the whole time?"

"What?! No way!" Isobel protested, "Didn't you say that she lied about your parents and your childhood? That's a pretty big deal to me. You have every right to be mad."

' _But I acted so rashly,'_ the girl mentally countered. The heavy weight of guilt in her heart grew heavier and she felt nauseous and lost appetite. Saffron excused herself and quickly made way home. She skipped dinner and went straight to bed. Before she fell asleep, she heard Flutter voice saying…

" _Hey. Wouldn't it be cool if something exciting happened? Like something fell from the sky?"_

* * *

 **Short chapter, I know but who cares? I'm already halfway through the next chapter :3**

 **Also...**

 **To the kind person who first reviewed this story. First of all, thank you for your review and your interesting suggestions. As for your questions…**

 **"will u include your oc's from the other series?"**

 **I'm not sure since they're in different worlds.**

 **"and will u be including the dlc"**

 **Again, I'm not sure. Depends how this story turns out.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's chapter 3**

 **Disclaimer: I do NOT own the plot of Fantasy Life, just my OC Saffron**

 **Have fun!**

* * *

Chapter 3

The next morning, Pam was in the kitchen, making some porridge when she heard a loud crash and a couple of screams. She panicked and left the building to see a big hole in the roof, meaning that whatever fell from the sky was huge and landed in Saffron's room! "Saffron! Flutter!" she cried in terror.

The attic door then opened and Saffron stumbled out of the smoking room coughing with Flutter on her shoulder. Pam sighed in relief and ran to meet them at the bottom of the stairs, "What happened!?"

"I dunno!" Saffron exclaimed, "I was getting ready for my morning chores and then the next thing I know, a huge purple stone came crashing into my room!"

"Well at least you can Flutter are alright…but what of the girl?"

' _Girl?'_ Saffron thought as she stared at her worried care-taker.

Flutter then asked Saffron, "Where will we sleep?"

Pam informed them that she will call a carpenter and have the roof fixed by the end of the day.

Later that same morning, people all over town came to see what crashed landed in their town but Pam blocked their path, saying that her residents will not be harassed by nosy neighbours. One of the spectators was a well-dressed old man with monocle. He came with a group of castle guards and demanded, "Out of my way, let me through!"

"Sir," Pam replied in a calm manner, "I can't just let you in my property just because you're rich, y'know?"

The man said nothing in return and with a snap of his fingers, the guards ran passed Pam and upstairs to enter Saffron's room. The woman was about to protest when the guards came crashing out the door along with Saffron stepping out of her room.

"Mind telling me why the castle guards suddenly decided to barge into my room?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

The man introduce himself as Hughes: the royal researcher and recent reports informed him that a Doom Stone crashed landed in this area. He wants to obtain it so he can research it on a larger scale.

The girl was still annoyed as she argued, "Just because you work for the king, it doesn't give you any right to barge into my home unannounced."

She then gave the guards permission to enter her room in order to extract the purple stone. Without so much as a thank you, Hughes and the guards left for the castle, mumbling how there's another Doom Stone around the area. Seeing how the interesting event was now over, everyone went back to their usual routines and Saffron, Flutter and Pam went to have breakfast.

As the two females ate their porridge and Flutter slurped sugared water, Saffron was in deep thought. Her mind was wondering about the Doom Stone. _'It has certainly earned its title, considering its dark purple colour'_ the girl thought, _'but judging by the dark aura, I can tell it's not safe for mortal use.'_

"Saffron!" Flutter called for the umpteenth time.

"Huh?" the girl snapped out of her thought to see Flutter and Pam looking at her with worried faces. Pam asked her if she was alright since she was spacing out and barely touching her food. Hesitantly, Saffron confided in them and told them that she thinks the Doom Stones are dangerous and that something bad will happen if she doesn't do anything about it. Flutter and Pam looked at each other before looking back at the girl. Saffron's face saddened and hung her head. _'Of course they won't believe me,'_ she thought, _'They have probably lived many years of peace and I-'_

A soft hand then landed on her head, making the sad girl look up and see Pam smiling down on her. "I understand," she said with the sweetest tone Saffron has ever heard, "You two go and investigate. But make you and Flutter are safe because I won't sleep easy if you're hurt or worse."

Saffron instantly hugged Pam and thanked her for understanding her. The woman didn't hesitate to hug back and stroked Saffron's hair as the younger girl shed tears of happiness. Pam then packed the two some lunch they can eat on the way and walked with them to the town' main entrance where she watched Saffron and Flutter walk on ahead. She smiled warmly as she thought, _'I can't believe I has just been a month since that day…'_

 _FLASHBACK_

 _The rain fell heavily as Pam was hurrying home from her sister's house. She was running to the main bridge when something caught her eye._ _Inside a ditch near the moat was a girl lying unconscious. The indigo shirt she was wearing was big enough to reach to her thighs and around her neck was a small red stone hanging from a silver chain. Her pale brown legs where covered with cuts and bruises. Her long wavy hair was like black ink that splayed across the ground and her face where her eyes were closed._ _Without a second thought, the woman rushed to the girl's aid and lift her from the ground. "Hey!" she called to her, "Are you okay? Wake up!"_

 _The girl stirred, showing that she was alive. Then, she fluttered her open, showing off her blood red eyes._

 _Feeling pity for the poor girl, Pam wasted no time on getting the girl home where she cleaned girl up, gave her fresh clothes to wear and food to eat._

" _My name is Saffron," the girl introduced herself._

" _Where are you from?" Pam asked. She wanted to know who would be cruel enough to leave an injured girl alone in the rain._

" _A place full of liars," was Saffron's answer. As absurd as that sounded, Pam knew right away what she was talking about and had a feeling she didn't want to go back._

" _Tell you what," Pam offered, "How about you live with me? I have a room upstairs that no-one's using and it would be nice to have some company when my sisters are not around."_

 _Saffron protested, saying she didn't want to be any trouble but the woman wasn't having no for an answer and just like that, Saffron became her neighbour and adopted daughter._

 _END FLASHBACK_

Pam wiped away a tear at the memory and prayed for Saffron and Flutter to have a safe journey.

Meanwhile Saffron and Flutter was on their way to the Grassy Plains when someone called out to them. They turned to see a boy wearing a pink shawl over blue trousers and a blue cap was covering her pinkish-red hair. He ran to them and demanded, "Hide me!"

"Huh?" Flutter asked. But she got no answer as the boy ran passed them and hid behind a nearby tree. A little while later, three guards ran to them and their leader, a big man with a moustache, questioned them, "Have you seen a tomb- I mean a boy around here?"

"You've just missed him," Saffron replied without hesitation, "He came passed here and knowing him, he would one of the town's side entrances."

"I see!" the moustached man announced, "Men! Turn back! He will not escape this time."

The men ran back to town and the boy came out of his hiding place. He thanked them for their help. The butterfly questioned his suspicious behaviour and the boy told them that he wanted to investigate the Doom Stone but his father wouldn't let him and even got the guards after him. The story sound legit but Saffron felt the boy was hiding something but didn't question it. The trio then set off to look for the second Doom Stone.

It wasn't hard to find considering the increasing number of guards they met along the way. However, when they arrived, all they saw was a big hole and a soldier standing by it.

"Excuse me, kind sir," the boy inquires the soldier, "Was there a Doom Stone here?"

"That's right," the soldier answered, "It landed here this morning."

Flutter looked around. She could not see the purple rock anywhere. She asked the soldier where the stone was and soldier explained how two of Hughes's helpers came by earlier and extracted the stone. The boy looked disheartened, "No way…did Hughes get here before us?"

"Unlikely," Saffron muttered. She walked up to the guard and asked, "Was one of the men big, hairy and full of muscles while the other was short, fat and a few brain cells short?"

"Um, I don't know anyone short on brain cells," the soldier answered, "But there was a tall muscly man and a short chubby one."

The red eyed Hunter stared the soldier before sighing and announcing to the two, "This guy's worse than an idiot."

"Hey!" the soldier cried, obviously offended by her statement.

"The fact that you was tricked by two complete idiots makes you worse than them." Saffron explained. The soldier open his mouth to retort but then quickly closed it once he realised that she was right. He panicked about what will Hughes say about this but the boy said they will find the thieves and sort them out.

It didn't take them long to find their hiding place. Not far from where the snoozing soldier was stationed was a cave and in front of a cave was a sign saying:

 _ **Keep Out!**_

The sign also had a picture of Pierre saluting. The boy looked puzzled, "Funny. Was that sign always there?"

' _It's almost like they're not trying anymore,'_ Saffron thought with an annoyed look on her face and kicked down the sign before storming in. The three was walking down the stairs when they heard a commotion further down.

"What's wrong, my wittle Chomp?" a man's voice cried follow by a high pitched squeal, "Down, Chompy! Down!"

"Ow!" another man cried in pain, "That thing just bit my arm!"

"It's Butch and Pierre," the boy whispered.

The trio went further down to investigate and met the two crooks. Pierre was sweating and looked pale while Butch looked confused and troubled. "My Chomp is a good boy. I wonder what happen to him."

The two turned and jumped as they saw Saffron the gang. Pierre glared at them and told them to mind their business and there should turn back if they value their lives. However, that just made the three even more curious and waited for the two brothers to pass them before hurrying the rest of the way.

When they got the bottom, they saw a small shadowy creature floating around with gleaming red eyes. "What is that thing?" Flutter gasped.

"Whatever is it," the boy said as he readied his sword, "We need to get rid of it. Let's g-huh?"

Before he could charge, Saffron grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back, "Hey! What gives!?"

The Hunter pointed forward and the boy followed her finger. It seemed she was pointing at the monster but he looked behind the beast and saw the Doom Stone emitting an ominous aura. He then knew what to do. Flutter was confused about what was going on when Saffron asked a ridiculous request. "Hey Flutter," Saffron asked, "Do you mind being bait?"

The butterfly flapped her wings rapidly to show she was mad.

"What!?" she shrieked, "Of course I mind! I'm too young to get eaten!"

"It's only for a few minutes," Saffron called as she and the boy ran towards the Doom Stone. Then she added, "Promise!"

Flutter wanted to protest some more but she couldn't as the possessed beast was flying towards her, chomping the air in front of him. She screamed and flew away as fast as she could. As the monster chased the small insect around in circles, the two teens was as smashing the Doom Stone with their weapons as hard as they could. The girl was using her arrows but found them useless so she settled with using the bow itself to hit the crystal. She was hitting and hitting until she noticed the boy getting exhausted. She then heard a loud scream and her head quickly turn to see Flutter backed up into a corner and the monster closing in on her. _'Crap!'_ she mentally cursed. Out of impulse, she grabbed a stray arrow and slammed the sharp tip on the top of the stone. The impact of the attack made the stone shuddered. Next, various cracks trailed down the stone and then it shattered into pieces.

Flutter whimpered. The monster was so close to her, she could feel his breath. But then it suddenly stopped. The little creature was confuse until she saw Saffron standing above what looked like little pieces of glass. The creature scurried to Saffron's side as the creature turned from dark purple to pink and its red eyes turned green. It was back to normal. The red eyed girl picked up the shard and examined it. The dark colour of gem vanished, leaving it as a clear crystal. It only took three seconds for Saffron to put the whole thing together. "So that's what it is," she muttered.

Then, Hughes hurried down the stairs with the soldiers. "Of course!" he announced, "It was so obvious! It was like the sign was advertising the stone. Where is it? Where's the Doom Stone?"

Saffron threw the shard to him. The old man was angry knowing that valuable research material was broken and was fuming until Saffron explained that the Doom Stones make any monsters nearby evil and by destroying it will not only purify the monster but also the crystal. Hughes was interested in this new discovery and obviously forgot about her earlier offense. The old man rushed off.

A little while later, Butch came rushing down saying, "I don't care! I'm not leave leaving Chomper alone!"

"But that thing's a beast!" Pierre called as he ran after his little brother.

Butch ignored him and when he saw Chomper, his face instantly lit up like a child, "Chomper~!"

Chomper squealed with delight and flew to his owner, licking his face. Butch laughed happily and noticed Saffron and the boy, "Did you save him?"

Unsure of what to, the girl just nodded. Butch threw his arms around her and gave her a big hug. Saffron stiffened at the sudden invasion of her personal space but seeing the small man smiling sincerely and the genuinely thanking her made her smile and pat the man's head. Pierre came to the scene shortly after and he instantly glared at the trio, "What are you still doing here?" he growled.

Flutter was about to answer when Butch stopped hugging and ran towards his brother and explained how Saffron and her friends saved Chomper. Instead of smiling, the blonde guy still glared. "Now listen here," he warned them, "I only let you brats off because my brother's happy right now but the next time you decide to butt in our business, you won't be so lucky."

The boy scoffed, knowing it was a bluff. He then grabbed the girl's wrist and dragged her out of the cave.

When they got back to Castele Square, the boy chose this moment to speak. He let go of her wrist and announced that they would being going separate ways from here. He then took off without another word. Saffron got back home to see Pam preparing for dinner. She learnt that the roof has been fixed and Hughes stopped by to give her one thousand Dosh (this world's currency) as a token of his gratitude.

Seeing that they had a lot of time left before dinner, Saffron asked her tiny companion what they should do now. Flutter told her that she wanted to see the rest of the town so the two head to the pet shop where they met Isobel. "Yo," she greeted, holding a cream-coloured puppy.

"Well it's nice to know that you're slacking off again," the Hunter replied with sarcasm.

The paladin frowned and explained that she was supposed to deliver the lunch that Roslyn forgot this morning but got side-tracked by the adorable animals in the pet shop. "I'm sure General Mustang will notice my disappearance pretty soon so why don't do Little Miss Izzy a favour and deliver the lunch to her baby sis."

' _Little Miss Izzy?'_ Flutter thought.

Saffron growled and snatched the lunch box out of the Paladin's hands, "Fine."

"Thank you!" Isobel cheered as Saffron walked away, "I owe you one."

The raven-haired girl stopped abruptly and looked over her shoulder with her eyes as mischievous as her smirk. "Oh?" she asked as if something has caught her interest, "You owe me, huh? Just like you owe me for the 'Double All-You-Can-Eat' special, the bet you lost two days ago and the drinking contest on the first week I was here."

Isobel paled as she was reminded payment she has yet to make, "I'll pay my debt, I swear!"

Saffron waved her off as she walked away, "Take your time, sweetie."

The female Hunter made her way to the Staples where she gave the little Paladin her lunch. One of Pam's sisters, Beth greeted her with a warm smile and said, "Good day, Saffron. Are you well?" Saffron nodded and introduced Flutter. The woman continued, "Y'know…you've never rented a horse before."

' _That's because I didn't want to waste money on a horse that is going to run away as soon as I get off it.'_ Saffron mentally answered. Beth went on to say that she can lend a horse for free when she is ready. Saffron accepted her offer and then took Flutter to the library.

The Royal Castele Library was not a big place but it had a lot of books about Reveria from its lands to its History. "Hello," greeted Paige the Head Librarian, "What can I help you with?"

"I want to know Reveria's history," the small butterfly inquired, "What books have you got on it?"

"We have tons of books about that!" Paige cheered.

"Really?"

"Why yes, let me show you." the man said and lead to a pile of books on the table. Meanwhile, Saffron went up to the second floor to see what she can find. There lots of interesting books. Some of them was about the basics of magic while others about the different lands of Reveria. She was looking through a book about a legendary item that could grant the wielder any wish when another book caught her eye. It was a dark blue book with a golden border titled 'The Gods and Goddesses of Reveria'. She opened the book at a random page and started reading:

' _The Life Goddess is what people could consider the ruler of all Reveria. Although she did not create this land or its people, she saved the whole of humanity and gave them the ability to live the life they always wanted. Everyone was grateful for what the Life Goddess held a festival once a year for her honourable work. However one night…she vanished without a trace.'_

Saffron was surprised at this information. She was also getting these vague images of people dancing and singing around a wooden bonfire. The girl clutched her head as she felt a familiar aching in her head. It has been a long time since she last felt it and she didn't miss it one bit. Paige spied on her and sneaked up on her and said, "I see you're interested in the Life Goddess."

"Gah!" Saffron jumped from the librarian's sudden presence. She let out a sigh of relief and asked, "T-This Life Goddess…does she have a name?"

The head librarian nodded, "Indeed. Her name is…Celestria."

Her red eyes widened instantly after heard that name and her brown skin turned pale, "W-What?"

She felt light-headed and used a nearby desk as support. Flutter flew to her and asked her if she was alright. Without another word, Saffron rushed out of the library and through the town.

Pam was sweeping outside her porch when she heard fast footsteps approaching her. She turned to her left to see Saffron running towards her. Pam smiled, "Oh hey, Saff-"

She did not finish her sentence as the girl passed her and ran to her room and slammed the door. Worried, Pam put aside her broom and walked up the steps. She stopped and gently knocked the door, "Saffy, dear? Are you okay?"

She heard faint sobs, whimpers and whispers saying, "It hurts."

That was when Flutter appeared. She explained what happened and that made Pam even more worried. She eventually decided it was best to leave Saffron alone to sort out her feelings and lead Flutter to the kitchen to have some sugared water.

* * *

 **On to the next chappy :3**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's chapter 4 and…that's it.**

 **Disclaimer: I do NOT own the plot of Fantasy Life, just my OC Saffron**

 **Have fun!**

* * *

Chapter 4

When Saffron woke up the next day, she felt strangely refreshed, as if a heavy weight was lifted from her shoulders. She sat up and stretched up her arms with a big yawn. She listened as the morning birds sung and smiled. "I guess that resolve really helped me out." she said to herself. She got out of bed and went to her wardrobe. Seeing how the clothes Fate sent her (including the ones she worse yesterday) was in the wash, she dug deep into her closet and settled her white and brown blouse and green calf-length skirt. The girl then left her room and went downstairs to the kitchen.

"Morning Pam, morning Flutter." Saffron greeted with a smile.

The said woman and the butterfly was very surprised to see the previously depressed girl all happy and perky. Flutter asked if she was alright and the Hunter replied that she had never felt better. Pam smiled warmly knowing that Saffron was back to her old self again. She then remembered something that came in the mail this morning.

"Here," the woman said, passing a fancy looking envelope to Saffron, "This came to you in the mail. The mailman said the sender was desperate that you should get this letter first thing in the morning."  
The Hunter inquired about the sender but the only thing Pam was told was that it came from the castle. Saffron opened the envelope and inside was a small piece of paper with an Apple in the background. The writing on the paper said:

 _'Please…help me. I'm waiting for you in the castle. Hurry!'_

Saffron read the note and in ten seconds, she figured out who the sender was. She quickly made a packed lunch and a small flask of sugared water for Flutter before heading to the castle.

* * *

"With all due of respect, my lord," Mustang said before Castele's King, "What you are doing is to no different to imprisonment!"

King Erik replied with a scoff, "Hmph! But if I allow her to roam free, who knows what trouble she'll get into!"

Then Hughes added, "There's simply no other way, General Mustang."

"W-What?" Mustang gasped.

"Tough love is what she needs. How else is she going to learn?"

"Can she at least walk around the castle?"

"You soft-hearted fool," the researcher scoffed, "Anyway, this is none of your business. You have preparations to deal with…Captain Boomerang Moustache. His made up his mind. You are in no position to question him."

Mustang was getting angrier by the minute and was about to retort when Saffron opened the double doors and strode into the room with Flutter in tow. The three males were surprised at her sudden entrance but hid it well. King Erik greeted her with a warm smile and asked her for her reason for being here. However, the Hunter told him to drop the pleasantries because she knows something's fishy is going on in this castle. In her mind, she knew what she was doing was disrespectful to the King but she had listened in on their conversation and for some strange reason, every word that came out of Erik's and Hughes mouths were like poison to her ears and felt as she heard them before and she needed something to distract her from the faint feeling of loneliness.

"Oh?" King Erik asked leaning his cheek into the palm of his hand, "And what, pray tell, makes you think there's something wrong?"

The girl pulled the note out of her pocket and presented to the three before her, "Does this paper or hand-writing seem familiar to you?"

The three of them looked at the note and jolted.

"Wow!" Fluttered gasped, "Three double takes at the same time. It really must be common."

The King paled began to sweat and stuttered, "E-Er, no! We were all just thinking…a-about something that happened…days ago!"

Hughes also made an excuse while Mustang excused himself from the room. Just as he walked passed them, he whispered, "You two…I beg of you…do what you can."

He then exited the room. Flutter was getting confused as she didn't catch what he just said. Hughes informed to two girls that the king had an important meeting to hold and they should leave. Saffron frowned. There was something going on in the castle but she wouldn't get her answer just by asking around. She bowed to the king and left the room.

* * *

"Hey Saffron," Flutter whispered as she waited outside Saffron room as her friend instructed, "Wasn't there something fishy about their reaction? I mean, it was just like the minister's when he saw the note. What do you think is going on?"

"I have a hunch but I'm not telling you," Saffron called from her room, followed by some shuffling, "It should be easy to figure out. Besides, if we're going get to the bottom of this. We need to break through their barriers."

Flutter then heard the door opening and turned around to see Saffron dressed as a maid. She then know the plan. So they went back to the castle and Saffron explained to the minister that the King has hired her as a temporary maid. The minister accepted that and sent her to do some cleaning. Before she started, she sent Flutter to find some clues.

An hour later, Flutter returned with no leads. The minister then came and thanked Saffron for all her hard work. "By the way," he inquired, "How is your investigation?"

"We got nothing," Flutter answered.

"I see…" the minister said. He then glanced left and right before he leaned closer and spoke in a quiet voice, "Do you…know a lively young boy?"

 _'Bingo!'_ Saffron thought.

"Boy?" Flutter repeated.

The minister described the boy as high-spirited and is vibrant like an apple in the Spring. Flutter then remember the boy from the Doom Stone incident. She mentioned that they didn't get his name but she remembers that he was wearing a blue cap. The old man stayed silent for a minute and muttered, "I thought so."

"Huh?" the butterfly asked, getting confused again.

But the minister shook his head and told her to forget about it before walking a few feet away from them and calling a guard. Saffron was curious about his actions and carefully listened in. Apparently, there was a riddle he was stuck on and asked a guard to help him figure it out. The riddle was:

 _"Imagine an apple. There are two worms guarding it, one on the left and one on the right. How does the apple feel?"_

The Hunter's eyes widened as she realised this was the clue she was looking for! The minister's was helping her in the form of a riddle. _'Which means somebody could be watching us.'_ she concluded. The spotted a door that to the back but the guard was standing by it. Luckily, the minister called the other soldier over to help him with this "riddle". Silently thanking the old man, she made her way to the back door which lead to and inner garden. The place was beautiful and at the very back were two guards beside a door where she could hear faint sobs.

"Oh man" said one the soldiers, "Princess Laura's sobs cuts me right in the heart."

"She was usually cheerful too," the other guard agreed sadly, "Her love for nature and all living things…Being locked in that chamber must be hard for her."

The two girls watched from afar and two men talked to each other.

"You know…I heard that the researcher made the King…"

Suddenly, Flutter popped out of nowhere and asked what they were talking about. Saffron face-palmed at the fact that the simple-minded butterfly forgot their mission.

The guards denied saying anything and demanded to know who they were. Saffron told them that she was a new maid and Flutter is her pet. Nevertheless, since the chambers were off limits, they shooed the girls away. Annoyed, Saffron went to sit by the fountain when she encountered…Queen Ophelia. She looked troubled so Saffron went to check on her. The pink-haired woman muttered to herself. Flutter called, "Hello! May we ask you something?"

Ophelia quickly turned around and swooned over the pretty butterfly who can talk.

 _'Am I talking to Cattarhina again?'_ Saffron thought as she remembered the perky green-haired woman from Coffinwell, _'Because that's what it feels like.'_

Ophelia asked if they need help. Saffron said that they came here to know 'how the apple feels'. Immediately, the queen knew what she meant. She smiled and chirped, "I don't know what you mean but speaking of apples…it's almost Laura's snack time. Oh, but I'm terribly busy at the moment. Can you two deliver the freshly baked apple pie?"

"Um…your majesty? We don't have time for this." Flutter urged.

But Saffron took the apple pie and winked at the tiny insect before going back to the guards. They saw the apple pie and knew the queen made it. However, one of the guards remained stubborn and refused to let them enter as he did not here about any delivery. It was then Saffron thought that the queen was in this "Secret Code" business as the apple pie meant she was on a "special errand" which allowed her access to the chambers.

As soon as they entered the room, a girl in a blue ball gown ran to them and hugged Saffron tightly, "Saffron! You've read my note and come to help me!"

It took a while for the princess to let go of the girl and when she did, Flutter blurted, "P-Princess Laura! It's an honour to f-finally meet you!"

Laura turned to Flutter and casually greeted with, "Oh hey, Flutter. Glad to see you."

The butterfly asked if they met before and Laura explained that she was the boy from yesterday was her in disguise. She even changed into her disguise to prove her point. The butterfly gasped in shocked as she had always thought the boy and the princess were two different people. The red eyed Hunter then changed into her normal clothes and asked what the problem was.

"I'm sorry to call you out like this but I need your help escape!" Laura explained.

"You mean you're really held prisoner?" Flutter questioned.

"Yes…on the orders of my own father."

"What!?"

The princess theorised that Hughes was secretly behind it and thinks he's deceitful, "If I don't do something soon, the poor Napdragon will-"

Saffron held up a hand to stop her, "Hold up…Napdragon?"

"Yes," Laura confirmed. The red dragon was rumoured to be the divine being protecting Castele. Apparently, there's a legend that if one slays a Napdragon will earn the title of 'Valiant Hero'. The red-haired girl was about to explained when she saw a fierce glare from Saffron and heard animalistic growling. She trembled, "S-Saffron?"

The girl snapped out of her anger and looked away, "C-Continue."

Laura then explained that many soldiers tried to slay it when it's only a harmless old dragon with a small temper.

"Also, that nasty researcher, Hughes," Laura then frowned, "He's planning to use the Paladins to capture the Napdragon."

"Why?" Flutter asked.

"I…I don't know…but I think he only sees the Napdragon as another piece of research material."

Saffron winced. As soon as she heard the princess say that, she felt raw anger swelling up inside her. She resisted to growl once again but her hair stood on end. The princess went on to say that Hughes was gathering Doom Stones and doing some weird research with them. There were also rumours that the normally calm dragon has suddenly become violent and began to attack people. She tried to defend the dragon but King Erik believed the rumours and locked her here.

"Hughes just wants me out of the way," Laura sobbed, "So no one can protect the Napdragon…it's just not fair! I hate my life, hate my father and I hate everyone in this stupid cast-"

 _SLAP!_

The sound of Saffron's hand sharply slapping Laura's cheek was loud in Flutter's ears and the princess's blue eyes widened with shock. She gently touched her red cheek which instantly stung. She then looked up into the coldness in her friend's red eyes. Hidden in the glare was a hint of sadness and longing. When the butterfly questioned her actions, Saffron answered, "I can very well see where Laura's coming from since I was the same once."

"Saff-" Laura started but the Hunter interrupted her.

"However, you should be grateful for the things in life because what you have now is what some people long for."

Laura was silent before she nodded. Saffron smiled a little before she was handed a red hooded cloak with white fills along the edge of the hood. The princess said her mother got it from a friend when she was younger and was told to keep it safe for her daughter. The brown girl smiled and put the cloak on and pulled the hood over her head, "So…how do we get out?"

"I need a rope ladder. I think father has one in his room."

Flutter knew what she had to do and rushed out of the door and told the guards that the required their presence. The butterfly told this to the men guarding the king's chambers. Once they were away from the door, Saffron rushed out and slipped into the king's room without anyone noticing.

 _'Now if I was the king, where would I hide a rope ladder?'_ the girl thought as she surveyed the room. Next to the door were three shelves full of books. Most of them were about little kings, heroes, sultans, pet training, ruling, a mad professor, rope ladders and baking. However, one book stood out from the rest. It was thick, red and oddly familiar. Drawn by curiosity, the Hunter slowly took out the book and looked at the cover. It almost looked like an exact copy of the book that Columba gave her back when she didn't know anything. The only difference was that this book had a gold title saying 'The Hidden Fairy tales'. Without a second thought, she stuffed the book in her bag. She knew it was wrong to steal (especially from royalty) but she had a feeling that the book might hold some clues to her past. Without delaying any further, she found a rope ladder under the king's bed and hurried back to Laura's room. Flutter was already back and informed that the minster has got the guards occupied with riddle. Saffron handed the princess the rope ladder wondered what was next.

"It's great that we got a rope ladder," Flutter pointed out, "But, uh…aren't there guards patrolling everywhere inside and outside the castle?"

Laura chuckled in response, "Not to worry."

She walked to the back to the room where there was a large picture of an apple. She then pushed the picture in and with a small rumble, the wall slid to the side, revealing a secret passage. Flutter was clearly shocked but quickly recovered and followed Saffron and Laura through the passage to a small room full of various items.

"Wow!" Flutter gawped, "Look at this stuff!"

"Isn't it neat?" Laura said proudly, "These are all the stuff I collected from my adventures with my father as a kid. Wouldn't you think my collections complete?"

 _'Reminds me of another red haired princess,'_ Saffron thought.

Laura opened the window and rolled the ladder down. She was about to climb down when Saffron stopped and suggested that she goes first to see if the coast is clear. The others agreed and Saffron leapt on the edge.

"S-Saffron!" Flutter panicked, "D-Don't tell me…y-you're gonna j-jump."

The hunter grinned and winked, "Don't worry. I fell from places _way_ higher."

"Huh?!" Laura exclaimed as Saffron jumped.

Because of her "knack" of falling from _very_ high places, Saffron felt no fear jumped from the window and she gracefully landed on her feet. She looked around and saw that she was in the forest near Fern's house. Seeing that no guards were here, she whistled and Laura came down the ladder with Flutter on her shoulder. Laura then instructed that they need to go up Snowpeak Mountain.

* * *

"My father and I used go up the mountain all the time," the princess explained as the three made their way through the Grassy Plains to the mountain, "But then my father began to rule and I…started to be a brat. Tired of being a princess, I sneak out of castle to have my own adventures."

Saffron nodded as she understood for she used to go on adventures when she was trapped inside the Observatory…

…no…that's not right…

"Ugh!" the girl grunted as a non-existent headache grew into a migraine. Laura heard the noise and looked back to see her friend in pain. She ran to Saffron and asked multiple times if she was alright. However Saffron did not answer since she was too busy fighting the migraine that was much stronger than the last one she had over two years ago. While fighting the pain, Saffron saw herself as a small child, happily playing with a wolf cub in a snowy forest and behind her was a vardo wagon.

 _'T-That's right,'_ Saffron thought, _'I used to live in that wagon when I was a child with my parents. I…loved it there…'_

Suddenly, the pain in her head released its grip, leaving the Hunter light-headed. For some reason, she was laying down and a face was looking down on her and a small sparkling speck, "Who…"

"Saffron!" Laura's voice echoed.

Saffron's vision snapped into focus and looking at her was Laura and Flutter. She was now in a tent with a damp rag on her forehead. The brown girl groaned and sat up, letting the rag fall onto her lap. She turned to Laura, then to Flutter, "W-What happened?"

"You looked like you in pain for a moment and then you suddenly passed out," Laura explained, "I had to carry you to the soldier camp at the bottom of the mountain."

The brown girl apologised and assured them that she was fine even though the faint feeling pain was still there. The trio exited the tent, had a quick bite to eat and continued their journey up the mountain.

* * *

"The dragon's usually on the mountain summit, it's gets colder the further you go up so be careful," Laura instructed the team, "Plus, its blocked off so the Napdragon's slumber is not disturbed."

"So how can we get in?" Flutter inquired.

"There's a guy known as 'The Crowned Champion' that lives on this mountain. Even though everyone says he's crazy…he's actually a decent guy and I'm pretty sure he can help us."

Saffron stared at the mountain. She knew who the princess talking about since she went up this mountain before while she was training. He was, in her opinion, a great guy with funny stories and jokes to tell but he can a bit of a pervert and a nosy parker.

The three girls fought their way through Razorbeaks, Buffalo and Panthers and by sunset, they got to a small house with a red roof. They went inside and greeted them was a small old man with a huge crown on his head. Flutter looked around the cluttered room that looked similar to Laura's secret room.

"Grandpa Gladstone!" Laura cheered.

"Well isn't it my favourite granddaughter," Gladstone cheered and hugged her, "Oh? And isn't Saffron and her little butterfly companion. A little too early for dressing up, don't you think?"

The red-eyed girl giggled as she got the joke. Laura asked for the key for the summit and Gladstone informed them that one of the King's men came by earlier and borrowed a key.

"I think name starts with H. Um…Higgs? No, was it Hogs…or Hags…"

"HUGHES!" the girls chorused.

"That's the one! He was shaking from the cold yet looked like a brave young lad."

"Oooh! That Slimeball beat us to it." Laura pouted, "You have a terrible judge on his character, grandfather!"

Gladstone smiled and gave her a spare Mountain Pass Key. Laura cheered and pecked her grandpa on the cheek. She then compared him to her father who never listens to a word she says to which Gladstone counters with, "He _is_ the King after all so it wouldn't surprise me if he's a lot on his shoulders and hasn't got enough time for you. I'm pretty sure he's not being deliberately cruel."

"But-"

Saffron chose this moment to interfere by placing her hand on the princess's shoulder and tell her that her grandfather's probably right and they need to keep going if they are going to save the Napdragon. Feeling a little dejected, Laura took the key and left the building. The Hunter was about to follow suit when the old man called her and told her, "A great peril is coming…just like the Lunares foretold."

Saffron didn't fully understand what he said but she knew that what he meant that the worse has yet to come. She nodded at the man and hurried to catch up with Laura.

It was a long trek up the mountain but they finally made it to the top. When they got to the door, Flutter noticed how a small section in front of the door was covered in snow. Laura unlocked the door and the three walked through the tunnel. The summit was covered with snow. The butterfly was amazed at the snow and began zoom around excitedly. Saffron giggled as Flutter reminded of her when she saw snow for the first time as a child. The princess giggled as well and the two laughed when Flutter sneezed and complained about the cold temperature. The princess then advised that they should rest in the cabin up ahead. They hurried to the cabin where they heard voice. It was Hughes! Laura got angry at the thought of her father giving Hughes permission to use their memorable place for his plans.

"Can anyone here what he's saying?" Flutter inquired.

Laura listened closely and repeated all the words she heard, "Violent beast…menace…fangs…ferocious…Napdragon…kill…you."

"Yes sir!" the soldiers saluted.

Laura couldn't make out the whole sentence but she knows that the battle has just started since there was no point of sneaking around anymore and they should just barge in the cabin.

Which is exactly what she did.

Hughes was talking to his soldiers when she crashed through the door and took out her sword, "Hughes! Don't you _dare_ harm that Napdragon!"

Hughes's face showed surprise when he saw her, "Princess? How did you escape?"

"You was wrong to underestimate me!" she stomped to the old man and demanded, "What evil scheme do you have for the Napdragon. Out with it!"

Saffron grabbed the girl's arm and yanked her back. "Cool it," she hissed. She originally thought that Hughes was evil and manipulating the King but the more she thought about it, the more she believed that wasn't actually the case.

"Evil scheme?" the researcher repeated before chuckling. Next, he was burst into laughter.

"W-What?" Fluttered jolted.

Laura glared at the man, "You're showing you're true last."

Hughes kept on laughing. Despite the weight of the situation, Saffron couldn't help but snigger at the thought of Laura of getting the wrong idea the whole time.

"What are you plotting?!" the princess bellowed, "Are you trying to overthrow my father and take the throne?"

That just made Hughes laughed even harder and the sneezed. Laura was livid as she had enough of his games. "I've caught a cold," Hughes explained, "And I was never good at games. Anyway…it seems you've got the wrong idea. We came here to help the Napdragon not hurt it."

Saffron disguised her laughs into coughs. She wondered if it was coincidence that Laura was like her younger self.

"Help it?" Laura inquired, "Y-You can't fool me!"

The soldiers vouched Hughes, saying that was he says is the truth and they were going to calm down the dragon with a sleeping drug. Laura said that she heard Hughes said 'kill'. One of the paladin said that what Hughes actually said, "Protect that Napdragon even in the effort kills you, men!"

"That's right," another soldier added, "We would sacrifice our lives to serve Princess Laura and help the Napdragon."

The princess was flabbergasted. She has no idea that this was happening, especially with what her father did to her earlier, "I-I-I mean he locked me up!"

"Laura." Saffron said sternly, catching the girl's attention, "Have you ever thought that your father locked you up not to spite you…but to protect you?"

"H-How do you know?! You wasn't there!"

"No I wasn't…but you and your father were pretty damn close, maybe you still are."

"Also," Hughes added, "If he didn't lock you up, you would've ran to your Napdragon, the same one that is consumed by a violent rage as we speak."

The red-haired girl jolted. She had never thought of it like that and regrets of all the bad things she had about her father. She asked if the rumours were true and Saffron answered that she senses a Doom Stone somewhere on this mountain and that could be the cause of the creature's rage. Hughes said that they are examining the situation as there might be a connection between the two. Monsters become fiercer when a Doom Stone is nearby so if a dragon is near a Doom Stone, the results can only be deadly.

"Princess," the old man then said with gentle eyes, "The King is much aware of your feelings for the Napdragon. Warning you to stay away would only make you more eager to go. So he took defensive action even though he knew it would break his heart…"

"He locked me in my chamber." Laura whispered, finally releasing her father's intent. A tense atmosphere hung above them and Flutter tried to make light of the situation and laughed nervously. Saffron convinced herself that she figured it out once they were at the mountain but now she felt as if she knew all along.

Hughes then explained that there have been as increase of Doom Stone sightings and that it must be related to the Lunares occurrence. Saffron mentioned that Laura's grandfather said the same thing. Hughes was about explain when...

"Professor Hughes! We've got trouble!"

A battered soldier burst into the door and leaned on the frame for support, "The Napdragon is out of control! We can't get close enough to calm him down!"

"What!?" Hughes boomed.

The princess gasped in horror and rushed out of the cabin before the researcher can stop her. He muttered under breath and demanded Saffron and Flutter to get the girl. The Hunter didn't need be told twice as she rushed of the cabin and ran further up the mountain.

* * *

"Laura!" Flutter called as she saw her trying to calm dragon. But it was no use. The Napdragon roared causing Laura to scream. "Get back!" Flutter warned. Saffron was not scared as she faced fierce dragons but she could hear faint cries. She also sensed that the Doom Stone was nearby, "So that's it…"

The soldiers then came to stop the Napdragon and ran in front of Laura. They tried to stop the dragon and calm it down by reminding it that Laura was its friend but that too did not work.

"Saffron," Flutter called to her partner, "The Napdragon…it's not shadowy like when Chompy was affected by the Doom Stone."

"I know," Saffron answered, "Meaning that something else is affect and it making the Napdragon angry."

The Napdragon roared again, scaring the soldiers to the point where yellow snow formed between their legs. Laura stepped in front of the soldiers and tried once more to calm him down but the Napdragon flapped its wings and lifted itself in the air.

"Watch out!" Flutter yelled.

"HOLD IT!"

A voice boomed from behind and in a flash, King Erik appeared with General Mustang. The small boy grinned knowing that he made it in time. Laura was shocked that her father was here but was also happy enough to shed tears.

"Laura! Step away from the Napdragon right now and leave it to me!" the King commanded.

"I…I can't!" Laura," protested, "Father, it's too dangerous!"

The confident king told them that even in a rampage, he can still make the beast tremble in fear, "I maybe small in size but I have a fearsome presence. That is how you challenge a beast."

 _'That's a pretty giant claim for a tiny person,'_ Saffron thought with a small snigger.

General Mustang explained how the King felt bad for his actions and went to deliver some apple pie as an apology. King Erik scolded the general for his loose tongue.

"Does this take you back, Laura?" the king asked, "Back to our adventures? I may not understand your love for beasts but I respect the bond between you two."

"Father…" Laura gasped.

Erik prepared himself to attack when Saffron stopped him, "I think the Napdragon wants to tell us something."

The dragon roared again and Laura felt it was trying to communicate with them. Of course, the king and the general did not understand what the two was on about. Another roared came from the beast which Flutter instantly translated it to, "In…the…nest?"

"Your…babies?" Laura wondered.

"I knew it!" Saffron muttered. The reason why the Napdragon was acting this way is because the Doom Stone wasn't affecting her but her babies!

The king finally understood what was being and informed his daughter that there must be something on the topmost peak. Laura said to leave the nest to her and Saffron and they ran past the dragon and up the mountain.

When they got to the top, there was a hole and a rope going down.

"The nest must is down there." Laura conducted, "I used to go down here to play but now I'm a little scared to go down there."

Again, Saffron jumped into the hole while Laura climbed down the rope with Flutter on her shoulder. There, they found the Napdragon's babies and as they deducted, they were affected by the Doom Stone. Their frantic behaviour made they mother worry and was crying out for help.

"Those poor things," Flutter sympathised, "We have to help them!"

The other two agreed and planned that Saffron should get rid of the Doom Stone while Laura distracts the babies. Laura ran towards the creatures as Saffron aimed her arrow at the crystal. She fired multiple arrows at her target but it only made a dent.

"It's not working!" Flutter exclaimed.

The Hunter cursed under her breath! If she doesn't destroy the Doom Stone soon, someone is going to get seriously hurt! Suddenly a familiar spark was felt from her hand and looking down, she saw the red and black static buzzing around her hand. _'That's right,'_ she thought after remembering her battle with Godwyn at the Gittish Empire two years ago, _'I can use this!'_

She got into a stance as she prepared herself for the attack. She felt the power rising but felt was a little of. Pushing that uncertain thought aside, she lunged herself towards the Doom Stone and with a single punch, the Doom Stone shattered in to pieces and the dark colour faded away. The creatures then became unconscious and transformed into pink baby dragons. Laura sighed in relief and placed her sword in her sheath. The Napdragon glided down and was happy to see her children saved from the darkness. The king and his men came down too.

"I thank you for saving my children," the Napdragon said. To everyone, it sounded like roaring but to Saffron, it sounded like a woman, "If it wasn't for you, my babies would've been hunted down."

"It sounds like she's saying thank you," Laura concluded.

"How nice." Flutter commented.

"You are truly worthy of Castele's treasure." the Napdragon then said, pointing her tail at the large treasure chest Saffron failed to notice. The Hunter went to the chest and opened it with ease. Inside was a gold cogwheel. Everyone stared at it in awe. A bright light then appeared in the sky and it formed a blonde girl dressed in white.

"Children of Reveria," she said in an angelic voice, "Heed my warning: this world is in danger."

"Is it as the Lunares foretold?" Hughes asked.

The girl nodded and turned her head towards Saffron, "Saff- I mean, you there. The world is in great peril and you have proven yourself worthy enough to save it."

 _'And just like the last one, I was chosen by chance.'_ Saffron's sarcastic mind cheered.

King Erik asked the mysterious girl is there any way the world can be saved and she explained that the world should join as one and have their wishes heard. Then, she disappeared in a bright light.

"What peculiar girl," Hughes stated, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Yeah. She sounded a lot like Flutter," Laura agreed, "Speaking of which; where _is_ Flutter?"

"Here I am!" the butterfly chirped as she fluttered towards them. With the problem solved, the group decide to head back into town.

While the three girls were making their way down the mountain, Saffron felt a familiar migraine growing in her head and her vision began blur. _'D-Damn! Not again!'_ she thought as her body fell on the ice cold snow. While fighting against the urge to lose consciousness, she saw Laura turning back to her. She could tell that the princess was panicking right now and calling her father for help. Then she saw images of her mother and father at a younger age and that's when she knew that her parents weren't Celestrians…

…but goddess and vampire since birth.

* * *

 **Done. Next chapter in progress**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's chapter 5 and…that's it.**

 **Disclaimer: I do NOT own the plot of Fantasy Life, just my OC Saffron**

 **Have fun!**

* * *

Chapter 5

Flutter watched as Saffron's chest rise and fall under the duvet as she slept with a wet rag on her forehead. After Saffron mysteriously fainted at Snowpeak Mountain, Laura hurriedly carried her all the way down the mountain and used a nearby wagon to carry her the rest of the way home. Pam was beyond worried when she saw the state her daughter was in and wasted no time in changing her clothes and tucking her into bed. The butterfly was told keep watch in case Saffron was planning to do anything reckless but she secretly blamed her own ignorance and wished she had noticed it sooner.

"Flutter."

Flutter jolted when she heard Saffron's raspy voice call out her name. She saw Saffron beckoning her to come closer so she did, "Y-Yes Saffron?"

"I know you blame yourself for what happened," the girl said quietly, "But…it's not your fault. My brain just kinda…clicked."

' _Clicked?'_ Fluttered wondered.

The brown girl sighed and pointed at the open red book she left on the chest on the other side of her room. She told her tiny friend that she read it earlier when Pam wasn't looking. It wasn't surprising to her that all the pages were blank. However, the first page now had writing that wasn't there before. The small insect was confused so she flew over to the book and inspected it. Indeed there was writing but not in a language she could recognised. She frowned as she tried to translate it but gave up. "I can't read it~!" she whined.

"That's because it's written in an ancient text," Saffron explained as she struggled to get up from her pillow. The butterfly told her to lay back down and rest but the girl assured her that she will soon recover. She walked over to the book and translated it for Flutter to understand. It read:

' _Once upon a time, there was beautiful princess. She was so beautiful that all the lords, princes and kings wanted her hand in marriage. But the princess let them all down for she did not love them. Originally, the princess would find her prince, marry him and live happily ever after but instead, she fell in love with a thief, putting the whole tale in disarray.'_

"A fairy-tale?" Flutter asked and looked up at Saffron.

"It's a history disguised as a fairy-tale," Saffron corrected her, "This story in particular is describing the time when my mother and father me. The question is; why would Kind Erik have this book? Did Columba give me a fake?" the girl then shook her head and smiled, "No matter. Let's just hope these are the real memories."

Flutter said nothing. She was too busy trying to figure out who Saffron actually was. At first, she thought Saffron was a genuine heroine but after what she had seen, she wasn't so sure. Never have she seen a human with not only the ability to translate ancient texts but has a soul that is both black and white, _'Saffron…just what exactly are you?'_

* * *

Goddess Celestria was sitting on her grassy throne with a smile on her face. The sun shone bright, the birds sang beautifully and a peaceful atmosphere was in the room. The woman hummed a little tune until someone teleported into her happy little home.

"I should've known."

Hearing Fate's playful voice made the goddess giggle. She remembered how shocked he was when he found out the plan she had been cunningly hiding from her. She turned to the time prince with a graceful smile and greeted, "Hello Fate."

* * *

"Eeeh!?" Isobel shrieked, "She's on the Adept level on six licenses…including Paladin!?"

Saffron calmly drank her tea as her friends were discussing her achievements over the past two months. Taylor smiled sweetly, "Even I was surprised when Saffy quickly went up the ranks in the Tailor's Department."

Hazel pouted, "We were her seniors and in a blink of an eye, she's our seniors. It's not fair!"

"Is that why you and Roslyn gave me impossible tasks?" Saffron inquired, remembering that Roslyn gave her task of defeating the Napdragon while Hazel asked her to defeat a Blaze Wraith; both powerful monsters, both impossible to defeat.

The Magician jolted at the question and hanged her head in shame, "I-I'm sorry."

"Don't worry," Saffron smiled, "You guys are much better friends than my last one."

"Huh?"

The Hunter dismissed the question and suggested that they should get home since its getting dark outside. The Paladin insisted that she should stayed since there were recent reporting about two cloaked figures on the loose but she soon left Saffron insisted that she will be fine. After the three girls left, Saffron went and locked her door when she heard something. She spun her head over her shoulder to see one of the hooded figures Isobel had just warned her about standing in front of an open window. Fortunately, Flutter was with Pam as she left Saffron to spend time with her friends and that fact that she hasn't returned meant that she fell asleep. However, due to the lack of space of her room, she couldn't fight the stranger without causing a commotion. The cloaked stranger was unarmed and looked as if he meant no harm but the dirt and tatters on his cloak suggested he was in a recent fight. Saffron glared at him, "Who are you? What do you want?"

The stranger said nothing and the candle lit room only showed his red eyes.

Then it hit her.

"No…no…" Saffron whispered as the memories came back, "T-That's impossible! Aquila said that you wouldn't be able to escape!"

The stranger slowly walked closer and closer until he was an inch away from her and Saffron's body was pressed against the wall behind her. Her mixed emotions along with her fever made the poor girl dizzy and weak. Her legs gave away but a strong arm kept her from falling on the floor. The stranger then carried her to her bed and tucked her in. Saffron was fighting to stay awake but was slowly losing conscious. The last thing she heard before she passed out was

" _You have grown so much, my beautiful rose."_

* * *

 **Done. Now working on the next chapter**


	6. Chapter 6

**Here's chapter 6 and…that's it.**

 **Disclaimer: I do NOT own the plot of Fantasy Life, just my OC Saffron**

 **Have fun!**

* * *

Chapter 6

The next morning, Pam and Flutter went upstairs to check on Saffron. After hearing a kerfuffle outside and Saffron's whimpering upstairs, the two couldn't help but worry about her. Slowly, Pam opened the bedroom door and peeked in. Saffron was in her bed peacefully sleeping. Pam smiled and slowly walked closer to get a better look. When she did, she was shocked, "Oh my!"

Around Saffron's neck was a pendant which was a small red stone hanging on a silver chain. That wasn't there before. Flutter's tiny brain was trying to figure out how and when the girl got the pendant and the only logical conclusion is that whoever was fighting last night, broke into Saffron's room, scared her enough to make faint, tucked her into bed and placed the pendant on her neck and left. The Hunter's eyes fluttered opened to see her care-taker and her friend and care-taker looking at her with worried faces. She sat up from her pillow and asked, "What's with the long faces?"

Pam originally thought of interrogating about last night but then she decided not to and gave Saffron an envelope. "It's from the King," she said.

The girl opened the envelope and read the letter:

 _Dear Saffron_

 _I have a request for you. Please come and see me at the Royal Court._

 _King Erik of Castele_

"I wonder what he wants," Saffron wondered aloud. She got dressed in her white shirt and brown skirt and with Flutter on her shoulder, she went to the castle.

When she got there, there was a que of people and a flustered soldier. Confused she asked the people what was going on and was surprised to hear that a red cross had appeared on the Lunares. Flutter was worried and asked Saffron, "What if the red cross foretold the world's destruction?"

"You've seen it?" Saffron asked. She was sure Flutter was asleep.

"Yeah. You was asleep then. It was really scary and foreboding."

' _If there's a red cross on the Lunares, something's definitely not right.'_ Saffron thought. Eager to get more information, the girl made her way passed the crowd and entered the Royal Court. King Erik was sitting on his throne with Hughes and the Minister by his side.

"Well met, Saffron," the King greeted, "I see that you have recovered from your illness. Very good."

He then went on to explain that Hughes found something interesting while researching the Goddess's Cogwheel. According the ancient texts, it begins with Doom Stones falling from the sky and then a cross in the Lunares which is what people have been telling him since this morning.

' _Sounds like it had happened before,'_ the Hunter thought.

"The Goddess's Cogwheel is also featured in this legend," Hughes added. According to the legend, the Cogwheel is one of the Goddess's Treasures that has been inherited by each land. If the legends are true then the other treasures are probably in the other lands of Reveria; one in Port Puerto and one in Al Maajik. Unfortunately, the texts did not tell him what would happen if all the treasures were brought together but Hughes is certain it has something to do with Lunares changing.

"The girl with the white hood might have some more information." Hughes suggested.

"R-Really?" Flutter squeaked, "I don't think she does."

"I would be most helpful if she appeared before us again like last time."

"Unlikely to happen." Saffron interjected. To her, the girl looked familiar and her face seemed to match someone else's, _'Can it be that…nah! Ain't possible!'_

King then said to Saffron that he wanted her to collect the remaining Goddess Treasures because she was recommended for this task by…

"Me!"

Everyone looked at the doors to see Princess Laura standing there. She ran to Saffron and hugged her, "Thank goodness you're alright. You passed out so suddenly I thought it was serious."

Saffron gently pushed Laura away and asked for an explanation. The pink-haired girl said that Saffron was perfect for the task because even though she would love to do treasure hunting herself, Erik would be sorry worried about her that he would cry himself to sleep. Because of that, Laura thought Saffron could get the treasures in her stead, "Besides, I have a feeling that those treasures are somehow important to you."

"Then it's settled," the King announced, "Saffron, you will travel to the neighbouring land of Port Puerto- a land ruled by pirates and nobility- and discover the location of the other treasure."

"I first deemed you two as a couple of nobodies," the researcher admitted, "Ah! I mean no offence."

"Some taken." The Hunter muttered under her breath.

"Now I see them as promising adventure-nobodies."

Flutter was offended and Laura was going to scold him when Saffron laughed loudly. Everyone looked at her like she was crazy. When she finally calmed down, Saffron said with a voice as sweet as her smile, "Nobodies? Hughes, I've heard _better_ insults from children at the age of six."

"Wha-"

Saffron chuckled and walked towards the doors, "I'm leaving for Port Puerto. Adios."

Before she can leave, the King gave her a letter he has written for the Governor of Port Puerto.

"What was that about?" Flutter questioned as the two left the town's front entrance, "When you said you heard better insults from six year olds?"

The red eyed girl chuckled at her little slip up and pulled the cloak's hood over her head. When Hughes called her a "nobody", her mind instantly went blank and had a flashback on when she was bullied as a "witch child" when she was little which instantly made her say what she said without even knowing.

"It don't think it's time to tell you a little sob story," Saffron answered, "Right now, we have a job to do."

At that moment, the two of them heard a scream and the sounds of things breaking. They rushed to the scene where Beth was trying to calm the other horses down while Roslyn was trying to calm down a wild red-eyed black horse by holding its reins. Roslyn yelped as her hands slipped from the reins and she fell on the ground. She timidly looked up to see the horse about to trample her! Fearing for her dear life, the Paladin shut her eyes and screamed, "Help!"

She waited for the pain to come but none came. She peeked through one eyes and saw Saffron standing between her and the horse, "S-Saffron?"

The brown girl's eyes glared at the horse's gleaming red ones as if she was telling him to back off. Eventually, the horse obeyed and calmed down. Saffron slowly reached out a hand and stroked the creature's muzzle. In response, the horse neighed and nuzzled against her hand.

"Don't worry," she cooed, "I know what it's like to be bullied because you're different."

Roslyn stared in amazement just Isobel ran into rescue, "Roslyn! I'm here to…to…what!?"

Just like her sister, Isobel was shocked to see the Hunter stroking the mane of the deadliest horse in the whole of Reveria.

Flutter asked what, "What was the big deal of that horse and why was he wild?"

"We call that horse 'Demon Horse'," Beth explained, "I found him in the rain one night, felt sorry for him and took him in. He was scaring the other horse and other customers just by his looks alone. Then, one of the horses gave him trouble and that's how he came to be."

"There are rumours about him too," Roslyn added, "They say that the King of the undead used to ride him until he was defeated."

The girls watched as Saffron mounted on the horse with ease and Flutter told her how uneasy she felt with riding a horse with such reputation.

"Rumours are just rumours," Saffron replied, "And it's because of those rumours that made this horse so mad. Besides, Port Puerto is quite far and taking a horse that won't abandon us is a great opportunity."

She asked Beth she can take the horse, which the woman said yes. Saffron named the horse 'Yoru' and rode off to Port Puerto.

When that got to the West Plains. Flutter told to stop as she saw something ahead. It was three men being attack by Coyotes, "Saffron, we have to help them!"

"Already on it!" the girl replied as she hopped off Yoru and rushed to their aid. She brought out her bow and shot three arrows and once, each hitting a Coyote and defeating them.

"Thank you," said a fancy-dressed man with brown hair, "I don't know what would've happen to me if you haven't saved me," he then went on to say, "My name is Andy Pescado, what's yours?"

"My name's Saffron and this butterfly is named Flutter," Saffron replied.

"Hmmm…a young adventurer and a talking butterfly, what a strange pair. The world is surely filled with infinite surprises."

Flutter giggled and then she whispered to Saffron that the man had attendants, meaning he could be someone important and that he looked somewhat sparkly. But the girl was thinking of something else. Andy was speaking in a Spanish accent which lead to two things: one was the conclusion that he was from Port Puerto and the other was a vague memory of going to a festival.

"Is…something wrong?" Andy asked, noticing the two staring at him strangely. The two quickly shook their heads, implying that nothing was wrong, "Well, Lady Saffron and Miss Flutter…"

' _L-Lady!?'_ Saffron's mind squeaked. She has been called a 'Lady' in the past but has never considered herself as one.

"If anything is troubling you, anything at all, please…don't be afraid to confront me in my palace."

"Palace?" Flutter repeated.

"Yes, I'm there most of the time. It would be an honour for you to visit me so I can repay you for your help."

Andy the excused himself as he was in a hurry and bid the two goodbye before leaving with his attendants. Saffron watched him as he left before mounting on Yoru and continuing her journey to Port Puerto.

Flutter gasped in amazement as the two arrived at Port Puerto's Beach District. It was a lot cooler than Castele's mild heat and the calm sea along with the tropical settings and the multiple shades of blue completed the atmosphere. Saffron sighed in relief as the cool air blew into her face. She really need that. Not far from the two was an old man wearing an eye-patch and had a fishing-pole in his hand.

"Are ya tourists?" he asked when he spotted them, "Don't remember seeing ya faces before."

"We are here to deliver a very important message addressed to the Governor from the King of Castele himself," the butterfly explained.

"Messengers from Erik, eh?" the man laughed heartily, "Then let me introduce myself."

The jolly man introduced himself as Ahab and he was well acquainted with Castele's King, "I assume you two are going to the palace, aye? It be on the far end of town."

Flutter mentioned how Andy suggested they should go there so there's a good chance that the town's Governor will be there too. Ahab laughed and said that while they are here, the two girls should let loose and take a stroll through town and he promised not to tell Erik. The butterfly was planning to insist but her partner had already flung her cloak on Yoru's back and ran towards the beach, leaving the tiny insect no choice but to sigh and accept his advice.

Saffron laid on the beach's soft sand and closed her eyes as she listened to the cry of seagulls, the joy of people and the soothing sound of the calm sea. _'All I need is some Barely Juice and a tasty kebab and everything will be complete…'_ the girl thought. She left out a sigh of relief as she listened to the echoes of children's laughter. She has felt peace many times before but not like this one, this kind of peace had more of a nostalgia kind of feel. Then, sun's light disappeared and she felt the presence of two people. Peeking through one half opened eye, the girl grimaced knowing that looking down on her were two young men who were no doubt trying to score some chicks.

"Hola senorita," said one of the boys who was a brunette.

"Hey babe," said the other with blonde hair and he wink, "You're alone?"

Saffron just stood up and walked away from them. She had been hit on once before in Swinedimples Academy and when she used to be Aquila's apprentice, the male apprentices would flirt with her. She had turned all of them down with no remorse not because she was aromantic but because she knows deep down, someone stole her heart long time ago (and not in a literal sense!) She can't remember who it was but she was certain he was in her childhood.

Looking over her shoulder she could see the boys following her so she turned around and gave it to them straight. "Look," she said as she was laying down the rules, "I'm taken. Always has been. I'm not interested in neither of you and never will be so bug off."

The brunette got the idea and kindly apologised and the blonde man didn't seem to care and continued to advance towards her.

"Oooh feisty," the blonde man commented as he circled around his prey, "I love that in a woman."

Saffron glared at the fool who has just crossed the line. She didn't care about the people who were staring at them, all she wanted right now was to teach this punk his place. The man was in front of her, leering down her with a cocky grin…that is until he suddenly and his face scrunched in pain. He failed to notice the fist that was hidden closely by Saffron's hip and she launched in at his stomach with little force. She watched as he fell on his knees, clutching his stomach and falling down before walking away saying, "Maybe you should think before you act."

The palace was not too hard to find as it was directly north from the beach and its size easily stood out. One of the guards informed them that there was no dress code and the two let themselves in without any trouble. As they up went the stairs, the red-eyed girl looked back to see the district. From her point of view, it was a single road with stalls lined on either side. The clear sky was bright and everything was bustling. Saffron smiled but quickly frowned as her vision slowly changed. The district still looked the same but the sky turned from day to night, the place was filled with transparent people holding lit paper lanterns, faint music could be heard and there were fairy lights trailing from stall to stall. Saffron's chest then tightened. She feels like she has seen this place before…but when?

"Saffron!" the butterfly suddenly called, catching Saffron's attention, "Are you okay? You've been spacing out a lot."

"Have I?" Saffron asked. She slowly blinked and the night town was gone. She then shook her head. _'Must have been seeing things.'_ Saffron thought before entering the palace.

Because the interior was mostly blue, Saffron's initial thought was that the place looked much like a sea palace. Flutter looked around and saw a set of stairs that split into two directions. She wondered which way they should go and Saffron said that it didn't matter since both stairs leads to the palace's parlour. They went upstairs and came to a room where Andy was standing front of a desk. His face perked up as soon as he saw them.

"Miss Saffron, Miss Flutter the Butterfly! I'd never expected us to meet again so soon."

"Mister Pescado!" Flutter exclaimed in shock, "What are you doing here?"

"That matter should not worry you in the least, my dear. After all you did save me from the Coyotes back there so pleas, accept my hospitality."

Flutter meekly protested but the man called his butler and asked his to prepare a banquet to honour them.

"What will it be, my lord?" the butler inquired, "The Sea Breeze Banquet or would you prefer the Rolling Ripples Banquet?"

"What kind of banquets are those?" the butterfly questioned.

' _I can just tell by those two names that it's full of sea-food.'_ Saffron thought with a sceptical look. She didn't hate fish but wasn't particularly fond of them either (with the exceptions of crabs, prawns and lobsters, she loves those). She interjected the conversation between the three by saying, "You've got it all wrong Mister Pescad-"

"Please, call me Andy," Andy requested.

"Mister Pescado," the girl continued, clearly not comfortable of using the first name of someone she just met on a formal business, "We did not come here for a reward. We have a letter from King Erik of Castele addressed to the Governor of Port Puerto."

She explained about the Doom Stones and the prophecy to Andy who seemed to understand the danger Reveria was in.

"No you how dangerous the situation is," Flutter said, "Will you help us?"

"As much as I understand the situation…" Andy started to say before frowning, "I'm afraid as Acting Governor, I cannot make the official descision. You'll have better luck with explaining the situation to my sister, Olivia… the true Governor."

Andy then explained that Olivia was currently at the pirate port as she is trying to get all the pirates together. Nobility and pirates used to live together in harmony until the former Governor- Andy's father- stepped down. He gave them the directions to the port and ask them to be careful.

Meanwhile, a brown-haired woman donned in pirate attire was standing before four men with red tinted cheeks and drooped eyes. The leader was a bearded man named Brutus and he sneered at the woman, "Why, that's a pretty costume, Olivia. You'll be the star of a fancy dress party, right boys?"

The three pirates behind him laughed and their leader continued, "Listen here, lass. Just because you're dressed like a pirate, does not mean you are one. Why don't you run back to your palace, princess?"

"That's where you're wrong, Brutus!" Olivia argued, "I'm too am a pirate, body and soul! If anyone should accused of not being a pirate, it's you!"

"What!?"

"You heard me! All you guys do is argue day in, day out. Don't you know anything about the high seas!? You're like turtles turning into sluggish tortoises. You need to fix up!"

"Why you…" Brutus growled and he and his took out their swords. Olivia was not fazed by their threat and took her own sword out of its sheath. She was about to lunge into battle when someone jumped over her and landed her foot in Brutus's face. The brown-haired woman watched in puzzlement as a young girl knocked the crew out with just using her feet and thought that she was just being a hero. Saffron, on the other hand, just wanted to get this pointless bickering done and over with.

When she knocked out the last crew member, she turned to the female pirate and asked, "You okay?"

Olivia nodded before clearing her throat, "A-Ahem! I thank you for your assistance on the matter but I assure you, I had it under control."

"Riiiiight," Saffron replied with obvious sarcasm, "Because telling a bunch of drunk pirates to fix up is really good negotiation skills."

Olivia frowned at the insult and Flutter came to check if they were okay. Brutus and crew got up again but instead of another round, they fled. Olivia thanked them again for helping her even though she was convinced it was all for show and went on her ship.

Flutter looked sad, "Maybe…we shouldn't have interfered…but at least she thanked us in the end. She never mentioned her name though…"

Saffron went silent and then asked, "You _do_ realise that we didn't show her the letter from King Erik, right?"

"Why would we-" the butterfly argued but the stopped and she figured it out, "She's Olivia. We have to give her the letter!"

Saffron got on the ship and entered Olivia's cabin. She looked as if she was in deep thought. The black haired girl slowly walked up to her and see her body tense. Suddenly, Olivia turned around and threw a punch and the intruder that dared to casually enter her quarters but Saffron caught the punch with her hand.

"Have you been following me!?" Olivia interrogated as she glared at Saffron.

Flutter was hiding behind Saffron when she asked, "Y-You're Miss Olivia, aren't you?"

"Yeah. So what?"

Saffron explained that she got a letter from King Erik addressed to the Governor of Port Puerto and gave Olivia the letter. The Governor read it intensely and nodded.

"I see what King Erik wants of me…" she said, "I knew something was wrong with the Lunares but-"

""But didn't think it was serious?" Saffron finished, "Yeah, I know. Your brother said the same thing."

"My brother? Oh! You must be Saffron and Flutter. Thank you for saving my brother. Always getting into trouble, that guy."

' _Oh and you don't?'_ Saffron mentally challenge

"He took after our soft-hearted mother while I take after my dad."

Flutter was confused as she was sure that Olivia is from a noble house. Olivia confirmed that she was correct, however she never felt like a noble. But before she could go deep on the details, she quickly changed back to the more important matter in hand.

"You seem excited," Flutter commented, "More like a pirate."

"Why of course!" the female pirate said with an air of confidence around her, "The pirate blood is singing at the sign of danger and treasure. I have you know that my father ruled the high seas. He was a buccaneer well-known far and wide!"

Hearing those words suddenly made Saffron's head hurt and she was sure it was not because of Olivia's loud voice. She felt as she knew someone else with the same- no, better reputation but can't remember who it was.

Flutter noticed the pained look of her friend's face but Olivia continued, "That was until he fell in love with a kind duchess on Tortuga Archipelago."

' _Oh great. The return of long hard-to-pronouce words.'_ Saffron thought.

"And the fruit of the forbidden love between a pirate and a noblewoman was you and Andy?" Flutter asked.

Suddenly, Saffron cried out in pain as she clutched her head. She felt as she had heard this story before but instead of a marriage and a happy ending, the story took a much, much darker turn. She could hear the echoes of a child crying for her mummy and daddy in her head along with the roars and heat of fire. The girl only felt pain and kept on hearing numerous voices calling her name until one familiar was heard.

"Saffron!" Flutter called, "Saffron!"

The girl opened her eyes and saw a baby blue ceiling over her. Her head was mildly aching and for some strange reason her body hurts every time she moved. She slowly sat up, getting rid of the painful feeling and looked around to found herself in the town's inn and day had turned into night. Looking to her left, she found Olivia and Flutter talk amongst themselves.

"Are you telling this happened before?" the Governor asked in shock.

"Yeah," the butterfly answered, "A friend of ours was talking about her relationship with her father and Saffron was in so much pain that she collapse."

"Maybe it was the sun."

"No…I get the feeling it's more than that."

Having heard enough already, the said girl moved her legs to the edge of the bed. The creaking of the bed got the attention of the other two females.

"Saffron!" Flutter cried and flew over to her, "Are you okay?"

"You passed out and I carried you to the inn," Olivia explained and placed a hand on Saffron's back, "You alright?"

Saffron smile weakly and reassured that it was mainly an overreaction to the sun hurting her head. The pain in her body slowly subsided and the girl got back on her feet pretty quickly. The girl looked at her left hand. It was still trembling from the furious sounds of fire which she found really odd because fire has never affected her until now but then again, nobody wants to burn themselves so it was natural to be afraid.

Olivia explained how she may know the treasure that King Erik speaks of as she heard of it when she was much younger.

"When I was little," the woman explained, "I was throwing a hissy fit at my mum, saying that I want to be a pirate. The she said to me…"

" _Royal blood courses through your veins. You can't be a pirate. I'm absolutely against it...but there's something I haven't told you about before. It is said that one night, under Lunares's bright light, a great pirate hid his loot on Tortuga Archipelago. If you somehow manage to find it, I may have to change my mind about you not becoming a pirate."_

"Did she really say that?" Saffron questioned.

"Yes." the Governor replied with a sour look, "However, she also smiled and said it was very unlikely that I would find it. Maybe your King means the treasure hidden on Tortuga Archipelago."

' _And I was about to ask her what did her little story have to do with what the King want,'_ Saffron thought after hearing that story. Olivia then went on to say that the archipelago is blocked off due to…

"What was it called again?" the pirate mused as she tried what her butler told her, "A…Moon stone?"

"Doom Stone!" Fluttered corrected

"That's right, it was a Doom Stone that crashed there."

"So they're crashing on Port Puerto too," Saffron muttered, "This is bad. If some huge beast comes in contact with the stone then everyone will be in danger."

Olivia said she is going to remove the blockage and asked the two if they want to come. Of course, the girls said yes and the Governor instructed them to meet her at the beach district and went on ahead.

While making their way to the appointed place Saffron was wondering if her childhood was as bad as her visions make it out to be. She was sure that not all of it was bad and tried to think of a time when her life did not suck. At first nothing came to mind but suddenly, she remembered something:

 _FLASHBACK_

" _Oh come oooon~!" a boy whined._

 _Little Saffron was walking home from school when she heard the whine and turned to two little boys sitting underneath a huge tree on top of a hill. She smiled and climbed over the tall fence that separated the green grass from the dirt road. She accidently dropped her school books once she got on the other side of the fence but she did not care for she ran straight to the steep hill and trudge up to it. One of the boys had brown hair and hearing the soft patting of feet made him turned to the girl's direction._

" _Saffy!" the boy exclaimed with sheer happiness reflecting in his ocean blue eyes. He got up from the grass and ran to the girl and wrapped his little arms around her waist and gave her a tight squeeze. Saffron giggled and returned the gesture._

 _The little boy then looked up to her with a childish pout and whined, "Saffron~! Kuro's being mean to meee!"_

 _Saffron's big red eyes the focused on the other boy who was leaning against the tree bark with a sour look on his face and asked, "Why are you being to him?"_

 _Kuro, a boy with black hair and reddish brown eyes, looked away and huffed, "Hmph! Because Shiro trying to copy me again."_

" _That's not true!" Shiro cried to defend himself, "All I said was that I was going to grow my hair-"_

" _But that's what I'm doing!" Kuro snapped, his anger rising each second, "I didn't like it when we looked the same so I cut my hair but then you cut your hair and when I want to grow mine out, so do you. Stop copying me!"_

 _The dark haired boy yelled at his younger brother with so much rage that Shiro curled into a ball and sobbed. Saffron was fighting against her own tears. She does not like it when the two brothers fight. It makes her really sad and thought of them never being friends again always scared her._

 _After a while, everyone calmed down. Shiro stopped sobbing and wiped his tears before looking at Kuro. "I-I'm sorry," he stuttered, "I-I just wanted to be strong and cool like you. I…I thought that if I looked like you, I can be cool too. Please don't hate me."_

 _Kuro looked stunned at the confession and looked at Saffron as if to say he didn't know what to do. The girl looked back him with bright eyes that said 'please forgive him'. He then looked back at his brother who started crying again. He gave out small sighed, smiled and ruffled his brother's hair._

" _I'm sorry, Shiro," the old boy apologised, "I didn't mean to be angry. I'm just so sick of the people in the village calling us 'clones'."_

 _The blue-eyed boy wiped away his tears again and smiled. He told his brother that he understood and gave Kuro a big hug. Saffron smiled, knowing that the boys had made up when an idea popped into her mind. She took one of her hair ties from her pigtails and tied it at the back of Kuro's hair, making a tiny ponytail. Her sudden action caused the boy to jump and looked at her as if she was weird. The girl just smiled and replied, "If you grow a ponytail, you'll be a hundred percent cooler!"_

 _Kuro's eyes widened and he blushed all the way to his ears. As an attempt to brush off the comment, he turned away and muttered, "I-Idiot."_

 _END FLASHBACK_

Saffron giggled. She remembered that she was friends with Shiro and Kuro, twin brothers who were often judged by the villagers just like she was. As she recalled, the three were pretty close so she wondered what happened to them to make them completely lose contact. _'I hope to see them again,'_ Saffron thought.

When she arrived to the appointed place, Olivia was nowhere to be found. Flutter was confused as she was sure the Governor told them to meet her here. They wondered if they took the wrong turned when they spotted Ahab mumbling to himself. They went to him and asked if he was alright.

"Ah. Sorry about that, lass," the old man told them with a sad smile, "I was just talking to my wife about our hot-headed daughter. As hard as she may appear, she's still delicate and yet she never listens to the advice I give her. Anyway, what bring you two here?"

"We're here to meet a female pirate and look for lost treasure."

He gave out a small chuckled before his face became gravely stern, "A pirate's life isn't always about freedom on the sea. It is also fraught with risks and danger and they're not your friend…you should know, lass."

"Who me?" Saffron asked.

"Why yes. I can see in your eyes that you had loads of experience."

Saffron mused at his words. Images of her father in a pirate attire flood in her mind. She then smiled and agreed to that statement. Since they were going look for treasure and didn't know where to start, Ahab gave them gave them a hint:

" _Lunares'll show ya where th' treasure be hidden."_

"What? B-But…how?" Fluttered questioned.

"How's that for a hint?" the fisherman laughed.

"That 'hint' is self-explanatory." Saffron pointed out, "As clever as it may sound, you're basically telling us that the Moon will show us the way."

"You're a smart lass," the fisherman chuckled, "I'm pretty sure your friend is a smart one too. That hint alone will be enough for her."

He then said goodbye and left (after he told them not to eat any of the fruit or drink he offered to his departed wife). Once he was out of sight, Flutter mentioned that his eyes would light up whenever he talked about treasure while Saffron pointed out that anyone could get excited over the chance of possibly finding gold or other riches.

"I wonder what he meant by 'Lunares will show you where the treasure is'?" Flutter mumbled to herself.

' _Weren't you listening to me!?'_ Saffron's mind yelled.

At that moment, Olivia arrived. She informed the two that while the Doom Stone hasn't been found, the blockade has been removed, meaning that they can move onwards to Tortuga Archipelago.

* * *

Goddess Celestria stared at Miu, surprised that she entered the celestial realm. The purple-haired minstrel was donned in a white gown and a silver tiara. Her smile was sweet and gentle as always and her face held the emotion of happiness. The Goddess was still questioning the woman's sudden appearance when Miu answered her unheard question with, "I was sent here and I was summoned here."

"What?" Celestria breathed. She only knew Miu from Saffron's stories but she thought that the minstrel would talk riddles like Fate, "What do you mean?"

Miu explained that Sulina- who was now Queen of her kingdom- has recently regretted her actions and sent Miu to get Saffron. The Goddess didn't need to hear the rest of it as she already figured it out: Saffron's subconsciously summoned (or rather "allowed") Miu into the celestial realm. The question remained is…why? Celestia looked at Miu as if she was waiting for the answer but Miu just shook her head and pressed her finger against her lips, indicating that the answer is either a secret or that she won't spill the beans…yet. Either way, Miu was already here and it'll be rude of her to shoo her out so she chose to let her stay and keep her company.

* * *

Tortuga Archipelago was not far from their meeting point as Saffron had originally thought as it was just across the located bridge south of the beach district. As the trio crossed the bridge, Olivia remembered another thing that her mother once said, "Beware the seven heads."

"What?" Fluttered asked.

"That's my mother used to say when I was little," the woman explain, "Beware the seven heads."

"Yes but what does it mean?" Flutter pressed on before turning to Saffron, "Saffy! You're the riddle solver, solve it!"

"What!?" Saffron screeched. Her nosed picked something: a scent she was all too familiar with. She looked at the direction where the scent was coming from and ran in that direction. Confused by her actions, the other two followed.

It wasn't long until they found themselves facing against three shadowy looking sharks. Olivia was shocked. She regained composure and pulled out her sword, "Everyone. Stay sharp and be careful. Saffron, do you think you can handle them?"

"I can handle them," Saffron casually replied with a shrug, "However, _they_ are not my main concern right now… _that_ is."

The Governor looked back at her partner with a confused look. They were facing three aggressive shadowy creatures with sharp teeth at night with little to no chance of rescue. How could the situation not make her concerned? To answer her question, Saffron pointed passed the monsters and at the strange stone behind them. It was as large as a turtle, purple and was giving out an ominous aura. Olivia suddenly figured it out, "Are you saying that that stone is causing the sharks to go crazy?"

The other two nodded their heads and Saffron told Olivia that she can be bait. The woman was livid as this girl was telling a _pirate_ what to do. She argued her case but was ignored as her partner jumped over the monsters and went to the crystal. Olivia was about to go after her but was blocked by the sharks. She gritted her teeth together and jumped over them. She managed to reach to the stone and cried to Saffron, "Who told you you can call the shots!?"

Saffron looked at her with expression that was a mixture of confusion and annoyance. She only said that as a joke and her actual plan was that they take on the stone together. Since it was fragile, she figured the more people attacking it and the more damage it took, the stone would break much quicker, thus they didn't need to worry about the sharks.

Despite Olivia's angry outburst, the two girls managed to break the stone. The shards lost their purple mist and the sharks changed back into their normal selves which were beautiful blue and pink fishes. The sea creatures looked at each then swam away. Flutter flew out of hiding and checked if the others were okay. Olivia was still mad at Saffron for telling her what to do and argued, "Y'know, I invited you to this expedition so I should be leader."

' _Aye yai yai,'_ Saffron thought with a frustrated sigh, "Does that really matter right now? We just saved the town and our asses."

"Yeah but I'm pretty sure I can handle this on my own!"

"I've only known you for less than a day and I already get the impression that you never take in the whole situation. If I wasn't here to point out the stone, you're mostly likely going to hurt the sharks who probably were in more pain than we first thought."

Olivia looked like she was going to argue some more but something stopped her and she just grumbled and stomped away and into the shipwreck. The butterfly perched herself on Saffron's shoulder and asked if the argument was necessary. Her friend told her that Olivia started it and her patience was wearing thin. Flutter wanted to scold her but the tired look in her eyes told her not to.

They entered the shipwreck and found Olivia scanning the area. Her anger was diminished as she was busy searching for the treasure. She spotted Saffron and smiled.

"It's treasure hunting time~!" she cheered and raised her fist into the air. She then laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of her head, "Oh Saffron? I'm sorry for being an ungrateful brat. I…I was mad since I rarely get a chance to give orders outside the ship."

Saffron smiled a little and forgave her. Since there were three of them, they agreed to split up and cover more ground. As Olivia went to check the north part pf the shipwreck, Flutter looked around and asked Saffron where to start. The red-eyed girl looked at the butterfly with an 'are-you-serious' look, "Weren't you listening to the old man?"

"Well yeah but-"

"What was the hint?"

"Lunares will show you where the treasure be hidden…but, how will that help us?"

The question made Saffron face-palm, "Look at the floor."

Flutter did as she was told and saw a small ray of moonlight behind the stairs. She turned to her companion as if to ask if this was the place. Saffron then pointed downwards, telling her to look down the crack. Flutter did and she saw something. She called Saffron over and told her that there seemed to be an old journal down there. Saffron reached down the crack and brought out the said object. There was an illustration of a seven-headed monster on the cover and looking inside, she could see the words were illegible because the pages were so worn out with age.

However, the first page seemed to be okay…

"DID YOU FIND THE TREASURE!?" Olivia shrilled, scaring the living daylights out of Flutter.

"No," Saffron replied and showed the book, "But we did find this journal."

Olivia took the journal and read the page. Her eyes widened in shock, "What!? W-Wait a minute…the seven heads!"

"Eh?" Flutter questioned, obviously confused

"This monster on the over has seven heads, just like my mum said! Wait, there's more… 'Seven rules of being a pirate'?"

Curiosity was at their limit and the girls read the page:

' _Th' Seven Rules of Bein' a Pirate_

 _#1_

 _I say, ne'er forget yer ship be yer kingdom_

 _#2_

 _Want treasure? Treasure th' swashbucklin' life!_

 _#3_

 _Ya be threatened by a kraken? Be more threatenin'!_

 _#4_

 _T' cry be only fine if yer cryin' out of happiness!_

 _#5_

 _Become a protector of yer friends who've got yer back_

 _#6_

 _A coward will ne'er become a pirate!_

 _#7_

 _Pirate honour demands ya behave honourably!_

 _For me mates and me kids_

 _Ahad Pescado_

' _I knew it,'_ Saffron thought with a smile. At first she wouldn't have known but after hearing Olivia's story, it all made perfect sense. Flutter went to read it again concluded that the journal itself is the "legendary pirate treasure" and that the hint really helped.

"Huh?" Olivia asked, "What hint? Who gave you a hint?"

"A fisherman with a strange laugh. We first met when we arrived at Port Puerto and then again near the grave at the beach."

Olivia then realized who the butterfly meant. She spaced out for a moment only to be brought back by Flutter's worried tone and she excused herself by saying she was just thinking about something.

"Wait…" Flutter said quietly, "The fisherman's name is Ahab…the writer of this is Ahab Pescado. Hmm…where did I hear Pescado 'before'?"

"Um, Flutter?" the governor started but Saffron stopped her.

"No, no. Let's see how long it takes for her to figure it out." the girl said, wondering if the tiny creature needed it spelled out for her.

Eventually, the butterfly couldn't remember and Olivia requested the book to be in her custody as it was pirate treasure in a way.

"Still," she continued, "Don't you think it's silly to think that this is what King Erik wants?"

"Indeed. I was expecting heavier and glittery," the butterfly agreed, "But I sense a strong wish within the book. I wonder what it is."

Olivia suggested that the treasure is elsewhere and that she wanted to head back to town to solve the mystery of the seven heads.

Once they got back, Olivia told them that she had some thinking to do so she'll be retiring to her cabin. She will also speak with the inn master on their behalf so they don't have to pay for their room. They then said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

"Hmm…Pescado…" Flutter mused as she perched herself on the table, "I'm certain I heard that somewhere. Hey Saffron, help me out here."

The butterfly turned to the girl who was huddled by the bed's head post. Small mumblings came from her mouth along with some humming. This made Flutter worried. Maybe the whole 'exploring-in-a-shipwreck-at-night' thing scared her. She flew to her friend's side and asked in a gentle voice, "What wrong?"

Upon hearing her, Saffron looked at her friend with a sad smile. In her hand was a trinket music box. The bottom half was red and cushiony while the top half was made out gold and between them was a thick black wavy line adorned with white pearls. The gold part had swirling leaves drawn on it and on the lid was a picture of a dark purple moon with a black background. Flutter was quite surprised to see such a treasure in Saffron possession and asked her where she found it. Saffron explained that while Flutter was inspecting the book, she found this music box and for some strange reason, she felt as if it was calling out to her.

She softly her graze fingers across the cold lid, feeling a little tingle in her head. She was definitely sure she had seen it before but where? Deciding to call it a night, Saffron put the music box in her bag and retired to her bed.

* * *

 _The musicians were playing, the dancers were dancing and the large bonfire in the middle was sending its ashes into the starry night sky. The fairies and witches were dining on the large banquet laid out on the wooden tables while the vampire, werewolves and various forest spirits sat at the bar, drinking and laughing to their hearts content. Tonight was another lively night as the island's habitants celebrated another year of being free from the wrath of the angels who wanted to "rid of all the darkness in the world"._

 _Little Saffron was dancing among the crowd. Her black hair shimmered in the fire's light, her red eyes held the emotion of happiness and her laughs was full of innocence. She was very happy; happy that she can do whatever she want; happy that she can go outside can play with the other children; happy that she doesn't need to worry about the scary bald-headed man any longer. The girl hopped and twirled in time with the music and her red pendant twirled around with her. She suddenly stopped. A familiar scent of her own blood and sea water reached her nose. Her happiness rose and she knew…_

 _He was home._

 _Ignoring the calls of her friends and the grownups, Saffron pushed and shoved her way through the crowd and there, standing on the path that leads to the harbour was a group of men and their leader was a big, brown-skinned man with blood red eyes, flowing black hair and donned a black and red pirate attire. He looked down on the tiny child and smiled, bearing his fangs. Saffron smiled and ran to the man._

" _Daddy~!" she cheered as she ran into his arms. The man lift her up and laughed as she nuzzled her head against the crook of his neck._

" _My little princess," her father cooed, "I'm home."_

 _Saffron hugged her father as tightly as her little body can. She hasn't seen him for almost two weeks and she knows that- just like two weeks prior- he would have to go out to sea again._

 _It's been like that since her father and the rest of the supernatural creatures from the 'Dark Side' took refuge on this island ten years ago. She misses him and often wishes they could spend more time together but she knew that her father and the other pirates are going out to sea to ensure that no angels find this island. The only things she did not know was why this this big fight started and where her mother would disappear to._

" _Do really have to go?" Saffron asked as her father sat down at the dining table with her on his lap, "Why can't you stay here and let someone take your place?"_

 _He gave her a sad smile and replied, "As much as I want spend my life with you, it's me the angels are really after."_

" _But why!? You did nothing wrong!"_

 _Saffron emotions were getting the best of her and tears rolled down her cheeks. The man wiped the tears from her cheeks and said that she will understand when she's older. He then brought something out of his pocket. It was round object wrapped in cloth._

" _Here," he said giving the object to his daughter, "I've been saving this for quite some time. The whole family helped make this."_

 _Saffron looked in awe and then looked to her father, "Even mummy?"_

 _The sad smile appeared again as he nodded. The little girl unwrapped the cloth and to her surprise, it was the most beautiful music box she had ever seen. It was red and gold with pearls in the middle and a picture of a crescent moon on the lid._

 _Her father explained that each part of the music box represents the blood she carries: the red represents her vampire blood, the gold represents her goddess blood, the pearls represents the mermaid blood from her mother's mother and the moon represented the witch blood from her father's mother. Saffron inspected her gift and asked, "What are the leaves for?"_

 _Her father looked surprised at first but then chuckled, "Ah, forgot about that. The leaves represents you ancestors, the wolf spirits."_

 _Saffron went quiet as she tried to process all this information. She then whined, "Daddy~! If I have all this blood, why do people keep saying I'm half vampire? Wouldn't I be fifth vampire?"  
To answer her question, the man sheepishly chuckled and said, "It's complicated."_

* * *

Saffron woke up on her bed. The first she realised that she had a mild headache from trying to figure out how on earth her lineage became so confusing. The second thing she noticed was the warm breakfast on a tray sitting on her bedside table along with a small cup of sugared water which Flutter was helping herself to. It even had a single red rose in a vase. The girl sat up and cleared her mind before turning to the butterfly.

"Hey Flutter," she questioned as she placed the tray on her lap, "Do you know how made this?"

"Nope," Fluttered answered happily, "But wowie, does this taste good! It must be from the hotel."

' _I highly doubt it,'_ Saffron thought and begun eating. To her surprise, the food was incredibly delicious and she savoured every bite. Once she was finished, she got dressed and checked out of the inn. When she thanked the staff for the free breakfast, they were confused.

"We didn't serve you breakfast," they said, "We only served breakfast to those who ordered it."

This made Saffron a little uneasy and she kind of regrets eating the food without caution.

It was still delicious, though.

She packed up her things and left the inn. They figured that Olivia was at the pirate port so they checked there first. She was there and happy to see them. Unfortunately, there was something she did not understand.

"I really want to be a pirate so I wanted to find the legendary treasure," she explained, "But my mother who was so against the idea is the one who told me about the Tortuga Archipelago treasure…"

"…which turns out to be the journal we found yesterday." Flutter finished.

The governor nodded, "Right. And the one who wrote it was…"

Before she could finish, she was interrupted by the gruff voice of Brutus.

"Ye be lookin' worried, lass. Where be yer usual energy gone? With th' wind?"

"Oh no," Olivia sighed agitatedly.

"Let's just hope he's not drunk like last time."

Luckily he wasn't and he asked if aristocratic matters were becoming a problem. Then, out of the blue, Luciano the Butler came along with another unexpected guest.

"Andy!?" Olivia cried, shocked to see her little brother at port, "Why are you here…?"

"Wait," a pirate interjected, "He's not the Guv'nor?"

"Actually, I'm Acting Governor." Andy stated proudly.

Brutus shook his head, saying that it doesn't matter if Andy is Acting Governor or not, he should interfere with his business with Olivia and demanded him to leave. He took one small step towards the man and was almost had his beard shaved off by Olivia's blade.

"I _dare_ you to lay a finger on my brother. See what happens!" she bellowed.

The pirates and Brutus brought out their swords, ready to finish what they left off.

"Aye, seems like the lass ain't holdin' back this time," Brutus grinned, "Well, neither will I!"

"We may even feed ya to some giant fish!" his minion threated.

"Aye. In order to fish, ya do need some bait…"

Everyone's heart jolted at the surprising deep and loud voice. They all turned to the entrance to Ahab walk up to them and announced, "But all the big fish round here have already been captured…by me. Gwahaha ha hwa!"

Brutus's eyes widened, "That roarin' laughter…cap'n…"

The buff pirate was confused and asked who this strange man was only to get whacked in the back on the head. Brutus scolded his crew and said that he was the one of the legendary Great Pirates, Captain Ahab: Leader of the Port Puerto pirates who ruled the seas of Reveria.

Ahab laughed at the title and said that was in the past. He then had a dangerous glint in his eye as he asked, "Ya know what'd happen if ya laid yer dirty hands on these good people, aye?"

"A-A-A-Aye, Cap'n!" Brutus stuttered in fear, "I can certainly do wi'out the ticklin' punishment."

Ahab then turned then turned to Andy with a warm smile and asked if he was being a good lad which Andy responded with, "Yes father!"

The fisherman finally turned to Olivia as he wanted to talk with her. The young woman frowned, expecting a lecture. Andy shook his head and said, "I see you found the journal."

"Yeah," Olivia replied, "But no matter how you look at it, it's not treasure."

Ahab gave out his roaring laughter, "Were you hoping for some gold?"

Olivia pouted as Ahab continued. He asked if she solved the riddle of the 'Seven Heads'. Olivia thought about it until Saffron cried, "Wait a minute! Olivia may I see that journal for a second?"

"Um…sure?" Olivia answered sceptically and took the journal out of her bag.

Saffron took the journal and read through it in her mind. She then looked at what was written and how it was written.

Then it clicked.

"I think I can safely assume that that smile means you solve the riddle?" Ahab inquired, sounding more like a statement than a question.

Saffron nodded. She had to admit, this riddle was simple yet clever. She gave the journal back to Olivia. Ahab laughed and said that maybe Saffron was waiting for her to solve it by herself.

The brown haired woman was even more confused. She looked at Saffron who just smiled back. Flutter was equally confused, "Saffron? You solved the riddle already? In less than a minute?"

"It's simple but cleverly hidden," the girl giggled, "I'm surprised I didn't see it sooner."

"Well Olivia, me daughter. Come with me." Ahab beckoned, "You to, Saffron. It be worth seeing. Meet me at the lighthouse."

Olivia silently obeyed and followed her father. Andy and Luciano also left, leaving Saffron alone with the pirate. Brutus saw this as a good opportunity to get back at her for humiliating him as well as interrupting their fight. Slowly and carefully, he tiptoed towards her and lift up a hand to grab her shoulder. Unfortunately for him, she sensed his presence getting closer and turned to him and grabbed his hand. Brutus was stunned by her quick movement and struggled to free his hand. Saffron gave him a stern look and in one swift movement, she pulled him downwards and kneed him in the stomach.

"Gha!" Brutus grunted in pain. He looked up to scowl at his opponent but his scowl turned into fear when he saw her eyes, "T-Those eyes…their…!"

Saffron let got him and gently put him to the ground. She had read his mind and was disgusted by his ideas for revenge and that's why she did what she did. His crew came to his aid as she walked away.

The group gathered in the lighthouse as Ahab requested. The interior was like every other lighthouse: small with spiral stairs leading towards the light. Just like the town's inn and the palace, the lighthouse's main colour was blue and there was a lot of stuff laying around like rubber ring, umbrellas, fishing poles, surfboards boxes and a boat. Olivia looked around. She has never seen inside of the lighthouse before and she was surprised to see all this stuff, "What is this place?"

"This, my child…" Ahab answered sorrowfully, "…is where your mother and I go when we have a…disagreement."

"You mean this is where you went when you excused yourselves?"

"Aye. And it was no petty 'it's-your-turn-to-do-the-chores' arguments either. These were the heated, full-blown kind. These arguments were about yer future."

Olivia was in disbelief. There was no way her gentle mother would raise her voice. Luciano told her that her parent would hate it if she and Andy saw them fighting so they would go to the lighthouse to sort it out. It was as Olivia had said, her father wanted her to be a pirate and her mother went against the idea.

"However," Ahab explained with a soft smile, "We came to an agreement on what we wanted for ya. Besides, it'd be nice if we could set aside our quarrels before she passed away…"

"Dad…" Olivia breathed.

The fisherman explained how he wanted Olivia to be a pirate while his late wife, Elise wanted her daughter to raise her as a girl from a noble family.

"I understand now…" Flutter said, "That was the power of Elise's wish I felt from the journal."

Ahab went on to explain that even though he and Elise were strong with their own views on Olivia's future, it took them long enough to see that in the end, it didn't matter which one of them was right since there was no right answer to begin with. When they came to that agreement, the two them formed a plan:

A plan to let Olivia choose her fate.

"We hid something in a ship surrounded by monsters and if you should've found it… then you have proved that pirate blood is thicker in yer veins."

"The Great Pirate's Journal!" Olivia answered.

Ahab nodded and said that if that happened, then Elise would accept that her daughter is better suited for a life of a pirate.

"Isn't this wonderful, Miss Olivia?" Luciano praised, "Your dear mother gave you her approval."

But that wasn't all as Olivia still didn't solve the riddle. Her father said it was Elise's message to Olivia since she came up with it.

"Saffron," Ahab turned to her with a smiled, "You solved it, haven't you? How about giving my dear daughter a hint."

"Nope," the brown girl chirped, "As I said before; simple but clever."

Then Olivia turned her attention to Saffron, "Did you really figure it out because…I don't get it at all. Did my mother really approve of me choosing the pirate life?"

Saffron nodded.

"How can you be so sure!?" Olivia then snapped, "I mean, no-one ever…"

Saffron just kept on smiling and pointed at the book, indicating the answer is right there on the page. Olivia opened the book and read the seven rules a few times. Her eyes widened as she figured out the message.

"I…want…ya…t'…become…a…pirate!" the Governor read and exclaimed, "It says 'I want ya t' become a pirate!'!"

"Took you long enough," Saffron huffed while Ahab laughed heartily. He told Olivia that the message was her mother's real wish and requested her to follow him outside where Brutus was, using two of his crew members as support as the pain his stomach mad him have trouble standing. Olivia questioned why everyone's so quiet. Brutus explained that the reason they were bullying her is because they tried to scare her away from the pirate world and tried to make her hate pirates so her mother could rest in peace. But because they now know the truth, they will no longer bully her. The former pirate told Brutus that he would teach Olivia to be a real pirate captain.

' _I'm not sorry for what I did,'_ Saffron thought with a blank stare.

Ahab announced that it was time to celebrate with a huge banquet. Everyone was cheering, the fisherman walked to Saffron and Flutter, "Here, I give this to you as a token of my thanks."

He reached into his bag and took out a shiny anchor made out of silver with a blue gem.

Saffron gasped, _'Where the hell did he find that!?'_

"It's nothing. Take it." Ahab said with a smile

The girl was honestly scared. She clearly remembered what happened with the cogwheel and was pretty certain it was going to happen again. On the other hand, it was thanks to the she regained a part of her memory so this was the same. Whilst she was have a mental debate on what to do, she was unaware that her hand was slowly reaching out to the anchor and by the time she realised, it was too late. Her fingers touched the object and painful jolt ran through her body. Her body then instantly shut down and Saffron passed out.

* * *

" _What do you mean you're leaving, Nubian!?" her teacher, Aquila yelled_

 _Saffron clamped her little hands of her ears in a frail attempt to block out the constant yelling between her mother and her teacher. Kuro was with her and had his arms wrapped around her in case Aquila decided to come in and take her away. She could hear her auntie meekly trying to calm them down but to no avail._

" _It is as I said!" her mother snapped, "I'm leaving the Observatory and taking the child with me!"_

" _But why!?" Aquila yelled, "She was perfectly happy here!"_

 _That's a lie and everyone knew it, especially Saffron. Every day, she had to deal with Aquila strict teachings, the harsh whispers and the bullying from the other Celestrians and worst of all, because of her vampire and witch blood, she was deemed as a threat so she could never leave the Observatory. Every night, she cried in her mother's arms. All she wanted was to be free and so did her mother. That is why she's planning to run away…_

 _Too bad she told her former childhood friend, Aquila._

" _It's her father, isn't it?" Aquila suddenly asked in a caring voice, "He's forcing you to do this!"_

 _That made the little girl's blood boil. How dare he bring her father into this and accuse him for something he didn't do. According her mother, ever since she was born five years ago, her father hasn't seen much of them since and their form of contact were the secret letters they send through the W.S.M.S (Wind Spirit Mail Service). Saffron missed her father and her friends on the island. Memories of her father, turned her anger into sadness and she silently sobbed and wished that her father would come and take her and her mother away from this horrible place._

* * *

Saffron woke up at the inn again. She had a sense of De já vu as the same thing happened just yesterday. The only difference is that she had a small headache. The girl looked her hand, thinking about what she remembered so far: she was born to a goddess mother and a vampire father; her bloodline is very confusing and she was living with her mother for the time being before something happened to her which led to her father taking custody. It may seem like much, however she still felt as if a huge part of her memory is still missing.

Looking beside her, she saw a letter from Olivia addressed to her. It explained that after she fainted, she was taken to the inn again. Everyone panicked because her body was growing cold and at one point, her breathing became shallowing but then a stranger came and returned her body temperature and breathing back to normal and instructed them to give her space and let her rest. She didn't say who she was but she did say that that she knew her on a personal level. Right now, Flutter and Olivia was at the palace and the governor is currently writing a letter to King Erik.

Saffron read the letter a few times before confirming she didn't miss anything. She has a few suspects on who brought her here but with no details on what she looks like, she can't narrow it down. She then noticed the anchor sitting in her bag which brought back the memory. It was crystal clear that Aquila despised her father. Thinking about it, Celestria did say that Aquila grew up with Nubian and developed feeling for her so of course he was going to get mad at the dark creature who stole his lover. The girl sighed. Her memories can wait. Right now, she needs to get to the palace, collect the letter and deliver it to Erik along with the anchor. She picked up her bag and left the inn to go to the palace.

Once she got there, Andy and Luciano greeted her with smiling faces and Flutter zoomed to her.

"Saffron!" she exclaimed, "Thank goodness you're alright! I was so worried! I-I-I mean that lady looked shady and-"

Saffron stopped her rambling and questioned, "The person who brought me to the inn. What did she look like?"

"Well," Andy replied sheepishly, "We don't know…her whole body was covered. We could only tell she was a female by her voice."

"No wonder why she looked shady." Saffron said. Then, Olivia rushed in the room. She was wearing an orange gown and jewellery and her hair was in a high ponytail. She panted as she gave Saffron a blue envelope addressed to King Erik.

"Here's…my reply…to the king." she said between pants before muttering, "I hate this stiff dress."

Andy told Saffron and Flutter that there were rumours that the Dark Sultan of Al Maajik- known as Daemon Helbourne- was summoning the Doom Stones after the Dark Sultan prior to him was sealed away ten years ago. The sultan hasn't given them any trouble but he's got a Maajiknight army to obey his every will.

Saffron was sceptical about information. If it was true, then the whole Reveria would be at war. They duo said their goodbyes and left the palace. Saffron found Yoru and rode away from the port and made her journey back to Castele under the orange sky.

On her way back, a white horse sped past them and blocked their path. On its back was cloaked stranger with snow white strands of hair framing her fair face and dark blue eyes.

"It's nice to see you are well, Saffron." the stranger said in a woman's voice.

"Ah!" Flutter gasped, "It's her! That's the woman who saved you! I can tell by the voice."

Saffron didn't reply. She just stared at the woman and she continued on to say, "You may not remember me. However, that's fine because I remember you…always have. Soon enough, you'll remember the bond we share and-"

"What are you talking about?" Saffron asked, "I already remember you."

The stranger looked shock for a brief moment before returning to her calm expression, "Please, don't lie on my behalf…"

"I'm not lying," Saffron replied and pointed at the woman, "You're Yuki: Princess of the White Kingdom, Sulina's older half-sister, former heir of the throne, a half angel and the girl who used to visit me when the Celestrian put me that cage when I was "causing trouble" in the Observatory."

Yuki gasped in shock and pulled down the hood of her cloak and asked how she knew. Saffron said that because of the lack of description, she couldn't tell who it was but the moment their eyes met, it hit her. Plus, she remembered Yuki two years ago, shortly after Sulina coronation. She saw a portrait of Yuki in the throne room which triggered the memories of her and Yuki and that made her realise that the memories she had before were fake.

The white haired princess them cleared her throat and gave her a serious look, "As you may have noticed, your memories are more bad than good and take it from me when I say that what happened to you three hundred and two years ago was a bit…traumatic. That's why I'm here, to give you a choice."

"I'm listening."

"You can either continue on this dangerous path or turn back and let me erase your memories like las-"

Before she could finish, a small fireball whooshed past her. She looked at Saffron with her palm extended out.

' _Did she just attacked me?'_ Yuki thought.

Saffron brought her hand back and Yoru galloped until he was next to Yuki's horses. Saffron stared at the princess with a cheeky smile.

"You may he an angel…well, half angel. However, you cannot erase my memories like last time because "last time" might've never happened in the first place."

Yuki was speechless at the idea so the girl continued, "If my past is traumatic as you and my current memories make it out to be then it is possible that I _blocked off_ my memories and now they're worming their way back…no that I mind of course."

Yuki didn't respond. She was shocked on how much the timid little girl changed over the years. When they first met, Saffron was just a tiny girl with innocent heart. Now, Saffron was still a small girl but not as innocent everyone expected her to be.

"Now if you excuse me, I need to report to the King of Castele," Saffron said, reading her horse, "I bid you farewell."

"Wait!" Yuki pleaded but Saffron was already heading for the twilight horizon.

* * *

 **Done and DONE! Next chapter coming soon!**

 **See ya!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here's chapter 7 and…that's it.**

 **Disclaimer: I do NOT own the plot of Fantasy Life, just my OC Saffron and Yuki**

 **Have fun!**

* * *

Chapter 7

Saffron was laying in her fluffy bed and planned to stay there for the entire day. She snuggled deeper into the duvet, ignoring the calling birds and the nattering townspeople. After coming home at nightfall, reporting to the King, delivering the goods and returning home, the girl want nothing more than laying in her own bed.

Unfortunately for her, her bedroom door creaked open and soft footsteps made their way to her bed. Then, a soft hand gently shook her awake and a familiar voice said, "Saffron? I-It's time to get up."

The brown girl groaned. It was Yuki holding a small bunch of unopened envelopes. That means Pam wasn't lying when she was taking her in too. Saffron turned to her new roommate and asked what she wanted.

"Well," Yuki replied, "I came to delivery today's mail, Flutter wants to go back to Port Puerto to see how Andy and Olivia are doing and a dark fur cat wanted to speak with her.

' _Jinx?'_ Saffron thought and got up out of bed, _'Alright…let's see what she wants…'_

* * *

"WHAAAAT!?" Hazel screeched with Saffron, Yuki and Jinx covered their ears.

After visiting Olivia and Andy and ensuring that everything was fine and dandy, Saffron went to Jinx to what she wanted. The cat told them that Yuki put in a good word for her and the cat has seen it for herself so there's nothing else to teach her. She also told them that the other place she can try is Esmeralda's Academy of Magic in Al Maajik. That was made Hazel screech.

"Why do _you_ get to go to Al Maajik and I don't?" the pink haired girl whined.

Saffron raised an eyebrow, asking what was so great about Al Maajik. Hazel gasped in shock. She told them that every magician has heard of Al Maajik at least once. It is a sand-town that centres on magic. There's a magic town, a magic academy and it even has the biggest library of Reveria: Al Maajik's Library of Magic.

As Hazel rambled on about how great Al Maajik is, her little brother- Nox- asked Saffron, "I've been wondering, do you have any siblings? Because from what you were telling Hazel, they must've treated you like trash."

Jinx scolded her pupil for such an insensitive question but Saffron said it was okay and as far as siblings go, hers are pretty standard. She's the third oldest of six kids and they all have the same mother. Four of them are her half siblings as they has different fathers and one of them is born from her father.

Her elder brother and sister, James and Samantha were born in Nubian's first relationship with another god (arranged by her mother). James is the oldest and the tallest out of the six. He always had a serious expression and always exceeds people's expectations. However, more often than not, James likes to relax and spend some time with his siblings.

Samantha is the motherly kind of sister and also the teacher kind. She would teach Saffron and her other sister every lesson there is about etiquette and being ladylike and she will keep repeating those lessons until they mastered it. Saffron shuddered at the memory, especially ballroom dancing and talking to males.

Robin is the four oldest in the group and is slightly taller than Saffron (much to her annoyance). Like her, he took most of his generics from his father and is pretty laid back. He sometimes acts like the peacemaker but if something does not go his way, he will unleash his rage.

The youngest siblings are twins Daisy and Daniel. She doesn't know all the details about them but apparently they were born while her mother was missing, meaning that she was still alive when Saffron was living with her father.

Nox looked confused and asked her how does she know all this if she doesn't have all her memories which the girl explained that she met up with her siblings two years ago and she remembered them. James was the one who told her about the twins. However, he was reluctant on talking about Robin which was weird to her since James promised to tell her everything.

"Oh gosh!" Hazel exclaimed and took Saffron's into hers, "You simply must take me with you. Say it is so!"

Her friend laughed nervously and apologised. She explained that she would most likely go to Al Maajik on the King's request. Furthermore, without the king's letter, she can't go investigate this "dark sultan" business was talking about.

"You may need back-up!" Hazel argued.

"That may be so but I cannot risk putting you in danger. You need to look after your brother, I'm pretty sure that's what Colin wants as well."

The magician was about to go against that statement but realised it's true. Her older brother, left them a year ago and hasn't come back since. Since then, Nox has been training hard so he can find his brother and help him any way he can.

"I guess you're right," she said dejectedly.

Saffron smiled and ruffled Hazel's hair, promising that once the whole thing is done, she will take Hazel to Al Maajik.

* * *

 **Short chapter, I know but I can't think of anything else right now.**

 **Stay tune for Chapter 8!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 now.**

 **Disclaimer: I do NOT own the plot of Fantasy Life or the Queen of Gleeba from DQ9, just my OCs Saffron, Miu, Sulina and Yuki**

 **Have fun!**

* * *

Chapter 8

' _Another day, another letter from the king,'_ Saffron thought as she entered the castle. Once again, the king wants an audience with her and by now, it's pretty obvious what it is about. She entered through the doors to the throne room where the Minister, Hughes, Erik and Laura were waiting.

"Ah, well met, Saffron!" Erik greeted with a smile, "I'm glad you came."

"What is it this time, Your Highness?" Saffron asked.

Hughes explained that they were able to obtain two treasures thus far: the Goddess's Cogwheel and the Goddess's Anchor. If they follow this pattern, another treasure might be in Al Maajik. Saffron was not surprised as she went on enough adventures to spot the clichés.

"Father!" Laura whined, "You can't expect me to just stay here and miss this adventure!"

"Unfortunately for you my dear," the tiny king replied, "That is _exactly_ what I expect."

"B-But I want to go too~!"

"Please understand, Laura."

"…Hmph!"

Hughes warned the opposing princess that this mission is more dangerous than the last two since the Al Maajik is ruled by a Dark Sultan. Laura argued that Al Maajik was _the_ place for a "hero's adventure".

"Is that what it's famous for?" Flutter asked.

"I thought it was famous for the magic." Saffron added.

Laura told them that Al Maajik is famous because it's the ultimate destination for many heroes. It is Castele's tradition to choose a hero for the town and the identity of the hero is kept a secret.

"It is the fate of the chosen hero to challenge the Dark Sultan to battle!" Laura stated proudly, "Why, the last victor was…..it was….who was it again?"

"Uh…" the king mused, "I believe it was a draw. The two lands called truce, therefore, there's not conclusion of the battle."

' _Didn't Ahab say something about the Dark Sultan being sealed and his son took over?'_ Saffron wondered as she tried to recall the conversation she had with the old man.

"Oh yeah," Laura agreed, "The hero sealed away the Dark Sultan in the abyss."

' _Ah…'_ Saffron then thought.

"Aaaaand…" Laura continued, "That hero…was father!"

"Wh-wh-WHAT!?" Flutter screamed.

"Not surprised." Saffron stated, surprising everyone, "It certainly does explain the King's… _childlike_ stature."

"T-That's not true." Erik protested with red cheeks, "I've always had this youthful body."

"Oh really? Then you must've had a really tough time satisfying your wife."

The whole room went silent as Saffron's words sunk in. Then everyone's face turned to beet red at the meaning. Laura turned to face the wall, the King covered his face and the two old men pretend to clear their throat. The raven-haired girl chuckled at their priceless reaction.

"S-Saffron!" Flutter whined.

Saffron laughed and softly patted her butterfly friend on the head, "Sorry. Couldn't help it."

Hughes was the first to recover and said that the Dark Sultan's successor will continue the reign of tyranny and with a new Dark Sultan in charge, they could find a diplomatic solution. Erik gave them the letter addressed to the Dark Sultan and sent them on their way.

* * *

"Huh? That's odd." Saffron said to herself as she shuffled through the closet.

"What is?" Flutter asked.

Seeing how Al Maajik was a desert town, the first thing Saffron did was head back to her room and changed into a more appropriate attire. But when she checked her closet, all the desert clothes she made as a tailor were gone and a small box was found. She had already asked Pam did anything happen while she was gone and the woman said she only just finished hanging up the laundry. The girl was confused and went upstairs to check again. Her clothes were indeed gone and upon further inspection, the box had a note taped on it saying:

 _You can't avoid wearing it anymore~ ^_^_

' _Fate!'_ she concluded and sighed. Saffron asked Flutter to wait outside as she could already guess what was in the box…

…and she guessed wrong.

She expected to see a gown in the box because Fate loves to throw a little challenge here and there but no. Instead, it was a neatly folded violet bedlah along with glittering gold bangles and a gold headband. Upon seeing the outfit, Saffron's face turned red. She had worn this before in a festival two years ago. While she does admit, she really likes this outfit, she feels really embarrassed and exposed when she puts it on. Saffron then noticed a thick brown cloak with worn and tattered ends. She was sure that wasn't there before but she didn't care. She changed into the bedlah and wore the cloak over it. It was heavy but it covered her body and that's all it mattered.

As she exited her room, Saffron spotted Flutter talked to Yuki. She walked past the duo and marched to the stables to get Yoru. The white haired girl saw her and chased after her with Flutter on her shoulder.

"Saffron!" the princess called as the said girl mounted on her horse, "Flutter told me everything. Let me come with you!"

Saffron declined her request. There was something Yuki needed to do which Saffron considered more important than this mission. Yuki begged Saffron to join as she fear that something terrible might happen to her.

"As nice as it is to hear you make a fuss over me," Saffron replied in a serious tone, "I'm pretty sure your sister needs you much more than I do."

"Sulina?"

Saffron then brought out a white envelope from her bag. It was a letter addressed to Sulina. The brown girl had found Sulina's letter on her table. The queen has apologised for her behaviour last year and wants nothing more than Saffron's forgiveness. The girl forgave her friend long ago as she understood what she was going through at the moment and she plans to send Yuki to the White Kingdom to not only deliver her letter but to help her half-sister through tough times.

"I refuse to help my sister as it was her arrogance that lead her to that fate." Yuki protested, thinking that Saffron would've finally given up and take her along as her bodyguard.

Flutter was on Saffron's shoulder at this point and because Saffron had her hood up, the butterfly could not see the coldness in her friend's eyes as she said, "Then you're on your own."

Before Yuki can say anything, Saffron's foot tapped on Yoru's side and the black horse galloped away.

* * *

Yoru galloped all the way to the southeast of the West Grassy Plains where they came to a small camp set up not far from the ravine that leads to the desert. The two girls agreed to take a short break before heading out again.

As Saffron was sitting in front of the fire eating roasted meat, Flutter thought now would be a good time to ask the question that has been bugging her since this morning.

"H…Hey, Saffron?" the butterfly asked shyly, "Why did you brush Yuki off like that? Isn't she your friend?"

Saffron chewed on her food and swallowed before answering, "She is but there are people who need her way more than me."

"You mean Sulina? What happened to her?"

This question made Saffron debate actually telling her what happened. While her friendship with Sulina may have been mended, the problem is far from resolved. On the other hand, the girl has been beating herself about it and hasn't confronted anyone, not even Pam. She fears that if she keeps this up, her sanity might break. Finally, she gave out a hefty sigh and explained what happened.

Two years ago, Sulina became queen of the White Kingdom when her parents stepped down from the throne. She got married to a Paladin called Kevin and a short while later, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. At that time, Saffron had four titles: Goddess Celestria's Champion, the Queen of the Red Kingdom, Sulina's advisor and the baby's auntie. She had a few more titles but they weren't as important according to Celestria. Because of the amount of duties Sulina and Kevin had, Saffron took care of the baby and over-time, she felt like she had a child of her own.

All was peaceful until a year later when a weird looking old man came to the kingdom and offered to be the entertainer for the princess's first birthday. Saffron didn't trust the man and she warned the queen not to take up on his offer. Sulina thought she was overreacting and took his offer. This caused the two queens to argue constantly but luckily, none of them declared war. When the birthday arrived, the party went off without a hitch and Sulina demanded an apology from Saffron for being overprotective. But suddenly, when the "entertainer" arrived, chaos was with him.

The sky went dark and dragons swooped in from the clouds and burned down houses with their fiery breath. The soldiers from both the White and Red Kingdoms tried to push the beasts back but to no avail. Sulina was desperate to save the kingdom and her family so she told Saffron to use her powers to fix the whole mess.

"And you didn't?" Flutter guessed.

Saffron shook her head, "I couldn't do it. Something… at the very back in my mind… told me that whatever I do will only make things much worse."

"Oh…"

Saffron took a breathed in through her teeth in in a way that tells Flutter that was where the worse part begins, "We were defeated, the kingdom was in ruins and the old man took the baby and went through a portal," she then asked, "Flutter, remember when I told Yuki that it was her face that made me realised I was tricked?"

"Yeah?"

"That was a lie and I'm pretty sure Yuki knew that."

"What?"

Saffron nodded and recalled the events after the kingdom's destruction. Sulina, lost in her grief of losing her only daughter, blamed Saffron for not following commands but Saffron argued that it was Sulina's naivety and arrogance to blame. They had a falling out and the Red Queen made her way back to the Realm of the Almighty so she could hunt down the kidnapper and make him pay. On her way back, the girl thought about what happened and suddenly, a snippet of two people burning at the stake was played in her mind at it troubled her greatly as she felt like she had seen it before.

"I confronted Celestria about it and…she confessed how she had altered my memories and have been lying to me about my heritage," she chuckled, "My sanity was already at an all-time low after what happened with Sulina and her Kingdom so the fact that I had been constantly lied to…"

"Made you snap," Flutter finished in a sad tone.

Saffron nodded and said that her mind went blank after that and when she came to, she was in a ditch near Castele where Pam had found her and the kind lady took her in. Flutter felt like crying after hearing that story. She honestly thought Saffron was a runaway but after hearing this, the butterfly could tell that Saffron was suffering on the inside. She felt the urge to cry but Saffron cooed, "Don't cry for me. Let's be happy."

Saffron then stood, feeling a surge of energy. She was glad she got that off her chest and she was gladder that she confided in Flutter and not a certain someone. The girl hopped on her horse with excitement in her eyes. "Let's go, Flutter! Adventure awaits!"

"Yay!" Flutter cheered and the trio set off to continue their adventure.

* * *

The ravine was very different the West Grassy Plains. Mainly because it had little to no grass and the temperature suddenly rose from mild to hot. Saffron almost took of their cloak but reminded herself of her attire and kept it on. A loud howl rung through the air and a group of Jackals blocked their path.

"What are we going to do, Saffron?!" Flutter exclaimed.

"Stay behind me!" her friend ordered and took out her weapon. There were only three Jackals and thanks to her recent training, they wasn't troublesome and defeated the without taking too much damage. "There," she said taking down the last one, "That should d-"

"Saffron, watch out!"

"Huh?"

 _RIIIIIIIP!_

"…Eh?"

At that moment, everything seemed to be in slow motion. First she heard the sound of ripping fabric. Then felt a slight breeze brush against her skin. Finally, she slowly turned to the Jackal that tried to attack her from behind. It missed but succeeded in pulling off her cloak. She looked down the bedlah was no longer covered and then looked at the Jackal with her torn cloak in its teeth along with three other Jackals. She blushed in embarrassment and then it converted to anger. With a click of her finger, a fireball was formed in her hand and she looked at the four dogs in a menacing manner.

"Alright!" she yelled, "Who wanna get roasted!?"

The Jackals snarled and the two opponents lunged at each other. Suddenly, a large sword swung towards them. The girl saw the blade just in time to move back but she tripped on a small rock and fell on her butt. The Jackals were not so lucky and they were all slayed by the sword.

"Ouch," Saffron muttered, rubbing her sore bottom, "That smarts…huh?"

She looked up to see a stranger clad from head to toe in black dark armour reaching out a hand. Assuming that this guy was no threat, she took his hand and in return, he helped her up. Flutter flew from Yoru's head to see if her friend was okay. The butterfly then noticed the stranger and jolted a little.

"Oh…um…I-I'm afraid we don't know you but," Flutter stammered, "T-Thank you for saving us!"

The knight did not say a word and just walked deeper in the ravine.

Saffron just watched him leave until a sigh directly next to her. Sher turned to her companion, wondering if she was tired of flying most of the time.

"That knight…" Flutter said, "…didn't even give us his name. Talk about a cool customer."

The butterfly then let out a sigh Saffron was all too familiar with along with, "My heart's aflutter."

"Ooooh~" Saffron cooed, "I get it."

"Get what?"

"You prefer the strong and silent type."

The butterfly flapped her wings faster as she was trying to blow Saffron's words away. She retorted by questioning Saffron's choice of outfit. Instead on saying that it was the only thing she got, Saffron smiled and told her, "I love this outfit."

After they cross the ravine, the duo made it to the outskirts of Al Maajik. Being a desert town, it was no surprise there was sand everywhere. The sun seemed to be on full blast as the outskirts was hotter than the ravine but the wind made sure that the people had an equal amount of hot and cold. Saffron dismounted from her horse and stretched. She hasn't felt this excited for an adventure for long time and couldn't wait to what was in store for her.

' _Ah~!'_ she thought, _'It's always nice to let loose once in a while.'_

"So this is Al Maajik," Flutter mused, "The atmosphere feels completely different compared to Port Puerto and Castele, don't you agree?"

"Aye," her friend agreed, "You could easily say that Al Maajik is the opposite of Port Puerto in terms of temperature and layout."

"The sand is like a sparkly sea of golden stars." Flutter said. Then she noticed something, "Saffron, Saffron! There's a Golden Knight over there. Why don't we introduce ourselves?"

Saffron looked to her side and sure enough, there was a figure dressed in gold armour. Unlike the Black Knight, this knight was skinny in built and judging by his aura, she can pretty much guess what kind of person they are.

Flutter went to the stranger and said hello. However the stranger did not hear them and said in front of a tree, "Ha ha! It seems your so-called "army of darkness" was no match for my brilliance! Heed my words, wretched Sultan of darkness. This is your final chance: kneel before my greatness or else be slain!"

Flutter slowly back away from the man and whispered in Saffron's ear, "Um…who's he talking to?"

"Don't worry, sweetie," Saffron whispered back, "He's just a weirdo talking to a tree."

"We…should leave."

"Hold on," Saffron said and inched closer to the stranger. If being a queen of a former opposing kingdom has taught her anything, it's the fact that there will be knights who either read too much fairy tales or is gullible enough to believe anything and everything he hears and judging what she had just heard, the girl assumed he was both. Saffron cleared her throat and said nothing for a full minute. Flutter was going to ask what she was up to when Saffron said in a voice so sinister, it sent a chill down her bones, "Kneel before your greatness, huh? Let's see how great you really are when I send you to the deepest parts of the abyss!"

As she predicted, the knight gave out a girly scream and turned to her begging, "I-I-I-I'm sorry! I'll kneel before your greatness! Wait a second…"

"Hello!" Flutter chirped and Saffron giggled.

The knight let out a sigh of relief since he thought they were a Maajiknight.

"I see you're rehearsing your "heroic" lines with this big, bad tree here?" Flutter asked. That made Saffron burst out laughing. She never knew her tiny companion had some fire in her personality, even if it is mild. The knight, however, did not find it amusing and tried to make up an excuse for his actions. Flutter asked if he was in a play and he was practising his part.

"Preposterous!" the knight protested, "You wish to know who I am, do you?"

"Um…we didn-" Flutter started to say but was cut out by the egotistic knight.

"Very well! I shall enlighten you!"

' _Oh boy.'_ Saffron thought, _'This guy has more ego than Pierre and Ivor!'_

The gold clad knight introduced himself as Magnificus: the great hero and the definition of valour.

"Whoa! You're a hero?! Really?!" Flutter cried with sarcasm, making Saffron snicker, "Then you must be here for the Dark Sultan."

Magnificus hushed the butterfly and told them that they are correct.

"Hey Saffron?" Flutter turned to her.

"Hm?" Saffron asked.

"Sir Magnificus…is he one of those "heroes" Laura was talking about?"

"No, sweetie. He's a "hero wannabe": someone who pretends to be a hero for very stupid reasons."

Magnificus decided it was time for him to storm the Dark Sultan's fortress and Flutter mentioned that they were also going to the fortress and suggested they can go together. Saffron was against the idea and suggested they should look on the map or ask for directions.

"E-Er…a great hero only needs courage by his side!" the knight boasted, "B-But sometimes, a great n-needs a _beautiful maiden_ to protect."

Looking at his dream-like state, it was obvious to the girls he was referring to Saffron. She has been hit on many times before but for some strange reason, her mind began to panic and she blurted out the first thing in her mind…

"I-I'm taken!"

Silence hovered over the three as the words sunk in. Magnificus's face saddened for a second before it lightened up saying it doesn't matter as long as he is the hero on this journey and Saffron and Flutter will be his "noble squires".

"U-Um…sure," the butterfly replied with uncertainty. She looked at her friend who was now looking at the ground why flushed cheeks. Was the heat getting to her or was it something else? Deciding to steer away from the topic for Saffron's sake, Flutter mentioned the Black Knight that saved them earlier. Magnificus paled and asked if they have really encountered the Shadow Knight Odin.

"Well you see, Saffron just finished dealing with these three Jackals when more appeared," Flutter explained, "That's when the knight showed up and _wham_! He took care of the rest of the monsters."

"And you felled three monsters before you met Odin?!" the man exclaimed.

"Is wasn't a big deal. They weren't that strong." Saffron added, having recovered from her earlier slip-up.

Magnificus was stunned by their story. Nevertheless, he told them to stay by his side and leave the hero work to him.

As they walked through the town, Flutter noted how the townspeople were happy but Magnificus was convinced that their smiles are nothing but an illusion caused by the Doom Stone and that the people were under the Dark Sultan's spell and that he was th3e only one who can save them. The trio then walked to Al Maajik's Spelltown where Flutter was amazed by floating houses. Magnificus questioned their plans on getting in Dark Sultan's fortress.

"Huh? We're just going to go there and ask to see the Dark Sultan." Saffron replied. She didn't want to stir up any trouble and neither did her tiny friend.

"What!? Do you have a death wish!?" Magnificus exclaimed, "You both know nothing of the true wickedness that is the Dark Sultan."

He told them about the Shadow Knight, Odin; the Dark Mage, Eldred; the Dark Witch, Demona and Daemon, the Dark Sultan himself.

"M-Many soldiers have been struck with fear at the m-mere mention of the group." Magnificus stuttered.

"Aren't you one of those "many soldiers"?" Flutter inquired and Saffron nodded in agreement.

"N-Nonsense!" the knight protested once more, "I am the _personification_ of courage!"

"As long as we stick together, there's nothing to fear."

"Really?"

"Really. Now then, to the entrance!"

* * *

The Dark Sultan's fortress was towering building that looked like a scary monster.

"This place would be great for Halloween parties," Saffron commented, impressed by the building's architect. Magnificus paled at the sight and clutched his stomach, saying how it was making strange noises. Tired of this nonsense, Saffron lay it to him straight, "Dude. You're scared. Go home."

The knight denies the accusation and stated that it wouldn't do for lovely ladies such as Saffron and Flutter to see knight cower in fear, "It wouldn't do for the princess too."

"You mean Laura?" Flutter asked, "I seemed to recall that she wanted to go with us but her father stopped her which is a shame too."

Magnificus looked at them in disbelief. That doesn't sound like the princess he imagine. She seemed…lively. As much as he doubts their story, he lets it go for now. They crossed the bridge when an elderly man dressed in a robe suddenly appeared before them.

"What do we have here?" the old man wondered, "Two humans and a winged insect."

' _I'm not human.'_ the girl mentally corrected him.

"Why are you here in the Dark Sultan's fortress?"

Magnificus gave out a high pitched shriek as the old man was the Dark Mage Eldred.

"Are you lost? Maybe you are official visitors of my masters?" Eldred continued to question.

The knight stumbled on his words and said that they were indeed lost.

"Excuse me," Flutter called out, "We have urgent business with Lord Daemon."

Magnificus told her to shut up if she values her life. Eldred spied on the knight's cape and asked if he was Castele's newest chosen hero? Flutter confirmed it to be true and before she can reveal his plan, Magnificus quickly covered it with another lie about he was here to observe the town's beauty.

"I see," Eldred mumbled, not really believing any of this, "In any case, you're the tenth hero to come here this month. Please allow me to welcome you."

"Lord Daemon had nine heroes this month alone?" Saffron inquired, "If they're anything like this egotistic idiot, I feel sorry for the guy."

"HEY!" Magnificus shouted, hurt by the insult.

"Unfortunately, I haven't had time to prepare for your untimely arrival…however, I have prepared for your untimely departure!" Eldred boomed as he summoned a trio of Maajiknights. Magnificus screamed again and curled up into a ball on the side. The girl launched herself towards the knights and one by one, she knocked them unconscious with a swing of her bow. The knights fell with a thud and Eldred stroked his long beard.

"It would appear that this unusual pair has greater abilities than this so-called… "hero"."

"Thank you," Saffron said with a smile, "I'm glad you noticed."

"No matter. These guests may need more of a…personal touch." Eldred announced.

Before anything else could happen, a voice out of nowhere boomed, "That's enough!"

"L-Lord Daemon!?" Eldred stuttered, "I understand your concern, Milord but you must understand, if we wait any longer, they will-"

"I have heard the entire conversation." Daemon interrupted, "They…"

"D-Don't trouble yourself, Milord! Leave this problem to me."

Magnificus trembled at the thought of the Dark Sultan being right behind the big double doors and looked as if he was going to pass out any minute. He collapsed on his knees and bowed. "I…..I'm sorry for saying I will slay you. Forgive me!" he wailed as tears gushed down his cheeks.

"I cannot believe King Erik choose you, of all people, to be Castele's hero." Flutter muttered.

"Ditto." Saffron added she then turned to the door, "Dark Sultan. If you had heard from…wherever you are, then you must know that Flutter and I have some urgent business with you."

Daemon chuckled, "Since Doom Stones' appearance, these "heroes" have been knocking on my doors quite a bit. However, the butterfly and the dancer…they seem to be different. I believe we've started at the wrong foot. I am honestly taken in by these two. You are allowed to pass."

Flutter and Saffron cheered. They get to see the Dark Sultan! Flutter then noticed Magnificus walking away and asked where he was going. The knight said that he had just remembered something really important to attend to. Flutter was confused as she thought that he wanted to see the Dark Sultan.

"Silence, insect! Leave me b- Argh!" he didn't get to finish as Saffron punched him in the jaw.

"Listen." She told the whimpering man on the floor, "First of all, that "insect" has a name and I just about had it with you disrespecting her. Furthermore, I'm sick of your whimpering, whining and boasting. You, sir, are no knight! You're a sorry excuse of a knight!"

Magnificus jolted as her words pierced his heart like a knife. He started snivelling and seconds later, he ran away, bawling like a baby. The butterfly questioned Saffron's actions as she didn't think it was necessary. The girl sighed and said that she wasn't going to stand by let a really sorry excuse for a knight (let alone a hero) insult her friend just because he miraculously gained a big title. Flutter was touched by Saffron's answer and decided to sit on her shoulder.

When Saffron entered the fortress, the first thing she saw was a portrait of who she assumed is the prior Dark Sultan. The portrait shadow a dark creature donned in a black robe and had red eyes. It made Saffron wonder who was the person that came up with the idea of 'all-evil-creatures-are-dark-with-red-eyes' because that's not always the case. There are some angels and elves that are evil and selfish but then again, humans can be a gullible bunch. The two girls went into a portal which too them to the next floor where the Dark Sultan. He stood in front of his throne and he looked much different than either of them had expected. He was a young man with purple hair and grey eyes. He was wearing a black cloak, an open vest and green pants with a red and black sash as a belt. Saffron felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment when she saw that most of his chest was exposed and was currently fighting off the intense urge to look away. Although she was wearing a revealing outfit herself and she clearly understood that the people of Al Maajik wore less cloth because of the heat, she still had her sense of modesty.

"I am Daemon Helbourne: Dark Sultan of Al Maajik," the Sultan introduced himself in a sinister tone, "Why have you seek my presence?"

"W-W-Well…" Fluttered stuttered, "My name is Flutter and Saffron and I have come here on an urgent business."

"I see… and does this "urgent" business have something to do with that letter King Erik gave you?"

"Uh…" was Saffron's answer. What does one say to a Dark Sultan that doesn't lead to a fight, immediate demise or a war full of bloodshed?

"I must say, it's rather rare to see a talking butterfly and a dancer travelling together." Daemon continued, "You two seemed surprised. I guess it's because I don't look anything like the prior Dark Sultan you saw in the portrait, am I right?"

Flutter gasped and asked how he knew what they were thinking since they didn't say anything of the sort. The man then did something unexpected.

He gave out a friendly chuckle.

"No need to be alarmed," he told them in a tone as friendly as his smile, "I just read your hearts with my magic. Also, I'd rather you just call me 'Daemon'."

The two girls was confused. Was the Sultan actually being friendly with them or was this a trick to let their guard down so he can attack.

"I'm often told that I'm the Dark Sultan of Al Maajik but to be honest, I never got the hang of this 'bad guy' business."

' _Actually, you did a pretty good job and had me fooled,'_ Saffron praised in her mind.

The man said that it was an honour to have received a letter from Castele's king and Flutter asked if he was friends with Erik. Daemon looked confused and repeated the word, "Fur…rends?"

"Yes, friends." the butterfly corrected, "You must have some friends, don't you?"

"I…I don't know."

"WHAAAAAT!?

Saffron winced at Flutter's screaming. She had seen this before with the Queen Gleeba and what a handful she turned out to be! Flutter tried to explain what friendship is using her and Saffron as an example but the poor Sultan still couldn't understand. He confessed that he had never seen King Erik before but he would like to. As much as he likes to visit Castele and travel across Reveria one day, his current situation has become quite difficult. Before he could go further, the Sultan switch attention to letter and Saffron gave it to him as well as gave all the details of what they know so far.

"Why couldn't you just read our hearts like last time?" Flutter asked.

"That spell is quite draining and my mother hates it when I…A-Ahem! I might've gone off topic."

Saffron's mind took the keyword "mother" and assumed that his mother really wants Daemon to be like his father which seemed to be a classic scenario for children of powerful people. It happened to her with Aquila and it also happened to Sulina with her mother, _'What is it with adults making the choices when the child is already old enough to make their own choices? This is why I ran away from Aquila's lessons for all these years!'_

"It is clear to me that this news is not good for our world." Daemon said with a serious look, "And although this action is not one of the Dark Sultan's tasks, I tried manage to retrieve a Doom Stone that crashed into the desert."

"Really?" Flutter inquired.

The Sultan explain that there monsters that are influenced by the stone are getting closer to the town by the day, quickly changing the situation from bad to worse. Furthermore, he may know the "treasure" that Erik is talking about but unfortunately, giving it to them is not his descision to make…"

As if on que, the door burst open and a skinny old woman with a pointy nose in a red dress stood there with a smile on her face, "Oh, my darling Daemon~!"

Her sing-song voice, along with the embarrassing pet name made Saffron cringed and she felt her tummy churning. She could instantly tell that the woman was Daemon's mother and she felt sympathy for the poor guy.

"I knew it!" the mother (who Saffron assumes to be Demona) said, "You were reading hearts of this…this harlot!"

Daemon jolted and stuttered, "C-Calm yourself, Mother. These two do n-"

"Excuse me!?" Saffron screeched, interjecting the Sultan, "We've only just met and you have the audacity to call me a harlot."

"Hmph!" Demona huffed with her nose in the air, "Only a harlot would wear something so revealing."

"At least I look better in it than you ever will, you old hag!" Saffron countered. In the back of her mind, she knew she must've screwed up (again) but what was weird is that what she just said rolled off her tongue so fluently, just like her dirty joke back with King Erik.

Demona, on the other hand, looked very angry and looked as if she was going to scream but Daemon quickly said, "Mother! These two are no threat to me or Al Maajik. They brought me a letter saying that the strange events happening around Reveria may be connected to the change of the Lunares-"

"That's enough nonsense out of you, young man!" Demona stopped from finishing, "This is a lie made by these…these wolves in sheep's clothing. All this talk about Doom Stones is ruining our reputation in Reveria"

Saffron's anger was slowly burning up. This also happened in Gleeba when Voluptua was acting all high-and-mighty (and went as far as calling them commoners) while the world was in danger. She was so angry, she actually ignored the pain that came to her head and remembered of the rich girls that used to bully her at school.

 _BOOM!_

"Huh?" Saffron mused as all her angry suddenly flew away. Getting back to her senses, the girls notices how everyone was staring at her with wide eyes. Looking down, she sees that her left foot as made dent. She looks at Demona and Daemon and flatly says, "Whoops. My bad."

Demona fumed, saying that all this is King Erik's fault. Daemon looked disheartened at this and tried to reason with her by reminding her that the fight between Al Maajik and Castele is long over but the old lady was having none of it.

"Have you already forgotten about the will of your father and all the Dark Sultans before him?" she queried.

"No, Mother," Daemon groaned and then recited the will, "On the eve of thy 15th years, thou shalt undergo the 'Sultan's Trial' and reign on as rightful ruler. Then, and only then, wilt thou be able to make right our humiliation at the hands of Castele."

"Oh, you are truly like your father, my so. Rehearsed down to the exact wording." Demona gushed.

' _Sucks to be you.'_ Saffron mentally commented. This reminded her of her two years ago which made her debate on who was worse: Aquila with his Goddess Scriptures or Samantha with her lessons on being a lady.

Flutter was silently sitting on Saffron shoulder and when everything calmed down, she decided to speak, "U-Umm… one second. Is it really okay for you two to discuss family matters to a couple of outsiders."

Saffron nodded her head in agreement. They were feeling very awkward and would very much like to leave the room…that and Saffron needed to get away before she punches Demona's face for angering her so much.

"That is none of your concern. It's nothing a little memory altering magic ca- AAAIIEEE!"

"S-S-Saffron!?" Flutter exclaimed. One second she was standing and the next, she got Demona backed up a wall with a fist dug into it. Her heavy breathing echoed the room and Flutter remembered what Saffron said before they came here:

"… _she confessed how she had altered my memories and have been lying to me about my heritage,"_

' _Saffron…'_ Flutter thought. She slowly flew over to her shoulder and said gently in Saffron's ear, "Don't worry. They won't our memories. Let's go now."

Right away, Saffron's breathing returned to normal. She pulled her fist out of the wall and took 10 steps back. Her eyes almost resembled those of a beast and fangs were seen in her mouth. After a few minutes Saffron asked in a monotone voice, "Daemon…you're afraid of the trial, aren't you?"

Daemon was shocked at this accusation, "H-How did you…?"

"I can smell it." was the girl's answer.

"Daemon, you are fifteen years old now. No longer my baby boy." Demona stated, "You don't need me to tell you this but big boys don't run away from their duties."

With that, she excused herself and left the room.

Flutter looked at Saffron who went completely changed. Her smile lively was gone and replaced an expressionless face with dull and eyes that held no emotion. The butterfly wanted to cry and her friend was no longer there, "Saffy."

No response came from the girl. She just stared at the insect with silence. Daemon said that if takes part in the trial, he has to remain isolated from the world for another year because he has to stay in the Ancient Ruins until his training as Sultan in complete. If he fails the trial, he has to stay in the ruins for three years for basic training.

"It was a pleasure meeting you both," he said with a sad smile. He summoned Odin and the black knight from ravine came to the room, "Please escort these two back to town."

Flutter asked if there was anything they can possibly do to help and the Sultan told her that he will write a letter to King Erik before the trial. They were about to part ways when Saffron called his name. Daemon turned to her and she said, "We'll see each other again, okay? Because we're friends now."

"Friends, you say?"

Saffron slowly nodded and left with Flutter and Odin.

* * *

Miu watched sadly as Saffron and Flutter left the palace. She felt all the emotions Saffron felt rush past her before it suddenly changed to nothing. The Minstrel then realised that fearing that she might lose control, Saffron sealed away her emotions. Although this has happened before, she fears Saffron will have a harder opening her shell than last time because no-one is there to comfort her. Tears rolled down her cheeks and fell into the basin, creating water ripples, "Saffron…"

* * *

"H-Hey," Flutter said to Saffron in attempts to cheer her up, "Mister Daemon forgot to erase our memories. Isn't that great?"

Neither Odin nor Saffron said anything, leaving Flutter really flustered, "U-Um…I-I guess he really botched that one, huh?"

"It was not a mistake butterfly."

"Wha…who!?" Flutter asked, "Saffron! Did you here that buttery voice? Where did it come from?"

The newly formed Saffron pointed at Odin who the nodded, saying it was indeed him who spoke. The butterfly swooned at his voice, saying it was amazing. The knight was confused by her reaction but let it slide. He explained that Daemon most likely forgot to erase their memories on purpose as he seemed to have enjoyed their company. The Sultan wanted to protect them even if it was against his mother's wishes and it was very first time he rebelled. However, like it or not, he'll still take the trial since he is bound by his loyalty to his family.

"He even "relieved" me of my duty and gave me a travel knapsack," Odin told them, "He told me 'Remove the helmet and be free. Travel the world and enjoy yourself.' He said I should leave right away before Lady Demona gave out her orders. I feel rather conflicted."

"Why?"

The knight did not answer. Instead, he directed them to the town's inn where they can rest and took his leave. Flutter then knew that there was more to this situation than they thought. She looked at Saffron who continued to stare of into space. She sighed and led Saffron to the inn where they rested for the night.

The next day, Flutter woke to see Saffron's bed empty. She immediately panicked and rushed outside and to her relief, Saffron was standing by the entrance, chomping on a chewy piece of bird meat. The butterfly went over to her and the first thing she noticed was that her companion was wearing her favourite red cloak. She asked Saffron if she went all the way back to Castele just to get her cloak. Saffron turned to her with bright red eyes and blankly stated, "I had it in my bag the whole time."  
"Eh?" Flutter questioned, "Are you okay? You were pretty depressed yesterday."

Saffron laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of her head. She apologised for being such a downer lately but she feels all better now. After having a small debate, the two girls decided to go to the fortress to see their new friend off.

Just as soon as they arrived at the entrance, Magnificus saw them and was really surprised to see them alive. He honestly thought they were finished and was preparing a speech for their funeral.

"The only thing that going to finish is Mister Daemon's freedom." Flutter cried.

"His freedom!? How did you obtain _that_ piece of information?"

"What do you mean?"

"So you _don't_ know. Finally! This is my chance for vengeance!"

Flutter and Saffron looked him as if he was crazy, then at each other and then back to him. Saffron asked what was he going on about. The gold knight explained how he saw the Dark Sultan leave the fortress with a few officials by his side and it looked as they were heading to the Drysand Desert.

"Oh no! We' have to hurry!" Flutter exclaimed. The two girls ran off and Magnificus ran after them.

* * *

They ran across the desert and dodge any monster that came their way. The three then found Odin with two Maajiknights. Magnificus quivered in fear at the presence of the black knight. Flutter greeted him kindly and in return, Odin laughed. Magnificus was greatly confused by this strange turn of events. The butterfly then questioned Odin's choice to keep the armour on when he's free from his duties.

When Odin didn't respond, Saffron added, "She's right, you know? Daemon went through all that trouble for your freedom."

"My…freedom." Odin repeated. Even with the armour on, the girls could tell he was conflicted. Flutter asked him what did he find in his life that is irreplaceable no matter the circumstances. Odin mused on this question and eventually, he found a resolve.

"Black Knight Odin," one of the Maajiknights questioned his leader, "Do you have business with these intruders?"

"…Yes," Odin answered with confidence, "Important business."

Odin always wondered what he wanted most in life and always assumed it was his freedom. However, that changed the moment he was told to do just that. He now realises that it was Daemon that cannot be replaced and that is why he must go to his side and protect him. Saffron nodded as if to tell him that is the right answer. Even at her depressed state yesterday, she could tell that Odin deeply cared for the young lord and wants nothing for than his safety.

"S-Sir Odin!" the Maaiknights interrupted, "If you abandon you position in the middle of the trial, you'll surely be expelled from the magic army!"

"I was expelled once so it would be impossible to expel me the second time." Odin stated, stepping on the symbol and teleporting to the ruins. Since Odin was no longer here, Magnificus saw this as an opportunity to carry out his vengeance…

…But Flutter and Saffron had other ideas.

"Saffron," Flutter asked, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yeah!" Saffron cheered, "Let's save Daemon from making the biggest mistake of his life!"

They ran past the guards and entered the portal, leaving Magnificus on his own with the guards.

* * *

"My, my~" Miu giggled as she watched Saffron and her butterfly friend enter the portal and defying probably every tradition this ritual held, "Looks like my little _sister_ is returning. Better tell the others."

* * *

The first thing Saffron was greeted by when she woke was the cold air along with the tiled floor. She got up and looked around. The Ancient Ruins was everything she expected it to be: cold and mostly dark. She heard Flutter calling to her and turning to her left she found Flutter with Odin.

"You two…why did you come here?" Odin asked.

"Because as his friends, it's our duty to save his ass." Saffron answered proudly. Odin agreed on her statement despite it being a little crude. They decided team up and find Daemon which surprisingly wasn't that hard considering he was just at the other end of the hall with his mother. Another thing that was at the end of hall was a giant shadowy dinosaur (I think) and it didn't look friendly. Demona screamed and Daemon instructed her to back away slowly. The young Sultan was surprised by the monster's evil looking appearance despite it being known as the 'Lord of Death'. Nevertheless, he took out his sword and prepared for battle. Not wanting to see Daemon or his mother hurt, Odin rushed to their aid with the girls in tow. Of course, Daemon was surprised to see the Maajiknights' Captain and two travellers risk their lives just to aid him but he was happy no less.

"Oooh!" Flutter groaned, "Saffron, I cannot find the Doom Stone anywhere!"

"Has your eyesight really gotten worse?"

Surprised at the mysterious, Flutter asked, "Huh? Who's this?"

The voice sighed, "Tell ya what, I'll give you a hand. Free of charge."

Then, the whole room lit up for a second before dimming down again and behind the monster was a big Doom Stone. Flutter suggested that it wasn't there before because the monster ate it, "Saffron! Now you can…huh?"

She turned to find Saffron not there but instead walking towards the stone, slightly swaying for side to side. Everyone was wondering if the girl was alright. Even the monster confused. They all watched as she stood in front of the stone, took out a silver hammer and smashed into pieces. The purple mist left the stone and the shadowy creature changed into a black and purple dragon.

"Yay!" Flutter cheered, "The monster is back to normal."

"Really?" Saffron asked in a tired voice and squinted at the monster before adding, "Flutter, I see no difference."

Daemon was impressed with how accurate Castele's research was. Then, out of nowhere, a dark skinned girl with purple hair and black robes appeared and smirked at the shatter stone.

"Heh. Just the right size." she chuckled.

"Who are you?!" Daemon demanded.

Flutter seemed to know since she exclaimed, "N-Noelia!? W-W-What are _you_ doing here!?"

"Did you honestly think I would just ignore that sweet little voice of yours and not follow you? You only seem to get more annoying when I'm not watching over you, Yuelia."

"N-Noelia!"

"Hmph. I just came here for the Doom Stone. Come oh "brave hero". That's your cue."

Then, Magnificus sprung into the scene. He was acting weirder than usual like he was under a spell. He even called Noelia "princess".

"Um…" Saffron spoke up, catching the new girl's attention.

"What? Are going to try and stop me?" Noelia challenged.

"Not at all." Saffron replied, "It's just that…you have one weird taste in men."

Noelia was shocked at the statement and defended herself saying it was a mind control spell. Saffron knew that but she wondered why, out of all the people in Reveria, did she go and a spineless fool with a very shallow mind. Noelia said it was none of her concern. Magnificus collected the Doom Stone and with a flash, the weird duo was gone.

"I _still_ think she has a weird taste in men." Saffron mumbled.

Flutter looked worried, _'Noelia…just what are you up to?'_

Seeing how everyone was fine and the monster was back to normal, Demona said that Daemon has passed the trial and all he needed to do now was seek recognition from the former Sultan. Flutter asked how was it possible since the former Dark Sultan was no longer in this world but Demona smiled and told her not to worry about it. She then went ahead with Daemon in tow. Odin sighed in relief and looked over shoulder only to find Saffron repeatedly kicking the dragon's foot while dragon just looked at her. The knight let out a sigh again and went over to carry Saffron over his shoulder.

"Your friend sure is…strange." He commented.

"I swear she wasn't like this this morning…or ever." The butterfly explained.

They entered the treasure chamber where a statue of the former Dark Sultan stood. Flutter looked at the statue and sensed something that was powerful enough to be considered alive. Demona ordered her son to say the oath and declare his desire to as the Dark Sultan. However, the Dark Sultan felt conflicted. Again, Odin helped him recite the oath but before can finish, Daemon thought he saw the statue move and it did.

"Thou who recites our oath most solemn," the voice boomed the statue.

"That voice!" Demona cried.

"It's the former Lord!" Odin gasped.

"Wheee~!" Saffron cheered from Odin's shoulder, "The statue lives."

Demona fumed and bombarded the previous Dark Sultan with questions like where has he been and what he has been doing. Turns out that the prior Dark Sultan has been in the statue for the past ten years. He told Daemon that although he had heard the oath, he also heard a lack of resolve within his voice and asked him why. Daemon did not answer but his father let him pass on to the final part of the trial.

"Kinda hard to fail when your father's giving you the test, don't you think?" Flutter wondered.

"Nah!" Saffron laughed, "When it comes to relatives giving you tests, there are two types: the soft-hearted ones who gives you easy questions and the uncaring ones who just throws you the hard ones."

"Come, my son. Tell me what's wavering your desire on getting revenge on Castele."

"Yeah. Tell the literally cold and heartless statue your problem," Saffron's chimed, "Maybe your heartfelt words will breaks his curse."

Flutter flew over to her to chide about her rude behaviour when she smelled Saffron's breath and it stung her nostrils, "Have you been drinking?!"

Saffron giggled and answered, "A little."

The statue once again asked Daemon what he truly desires. Daemon thought about and turned to Odin who was just putting Saffron down, "Saffron. Although it may not be much but on behalf of Al Maajik, I sincerely apologise for our violence towards Castele. We should make peace but how?"

"It takes time to heal," Odin answered, "It's more complex than repairing a broken statue."

Flutter asked him for his wish. The Dark Sultan first thought that there wasn't something he wanted but then a thought came into mind. He turned to Saffron and asked her to lend him her aid once more. Confused, the girl obliged and the thing she knew, she and Daemon broke the statue. Demona wept as she thought he was gone but a large shadowy figure before them. It was Daemon's father and he announced that Daemon has completed the final trial and now, he's officially the Dark Sultan. The father was then confused on why everyone was so shocked to see him.

"Yooouuu…!" Demona screeched at him.

"What? You thought I was gone? I was in this statue the whole time." the previous Dark Sultan explained, "And all it took was good old teenage rebellion."

He explained how during his imprisonment, he got bored very quickly. Even when he thought the stuff he would do when he escapes, he still got bored, "Now, on to the more important stuff: Who wants to see the most beautiful oasis you ever laid your eyes upon?"

"I do! I do! I do!" Saffron cheered like a little child seeing her favourite treat.

The large figure gave out a deep chuckle. He then uttered a spell that warped them into a beautiful garden full of crystals. The Hunter cheered and again and ran around. Daemon sensed the large of amount of spiritual power stored in this place. His father laughed heartedly, proud to have son who was very wise for his age, "However, this particular day is a special so I'd appreciate it if you set aside the formalities and stiff rules for once."

"AAAH!" Eldred screamed, "Why is the former Dark Sultan here?!"

"I didn't him there," Flutter mused and everyone agreed.

"Must've summoned him here by mistake." the prior Dark Sultan suggested.

The old man was scared and confused and was pretty convinced that he suddenly kicked the bucket was now in the afterlife. The prior Dark Sultan said that he _could_ explain but since that will take too much effort, he'd rather sit back and relax. While all this was going on, Saffron felt her energy running out and she out a yawn before curling up on the soft grass and soon, she was fast asleep.

"See?" the previous Dark Sultan said, pointing at her, "She has the general sense of the idea. Ah, what of King Erik of Castele?"

"Well," Flutter replied, "He so small that his feet cannot touch the ground anytime he sits."

"Great! Now it's my turn."

"W-Wait, father!" Daemon said, "Are you telling me that all this was some contest to see who could pull of the best prank?"

"Meh. Pretty much."

Demona was absolute livid at her husband's behaviour. She found it hard to believe that this "battle" was nothing more than a silly prank contest all this time. They got into a silly argument and Flutter got nervous, "S-So this is a married life, huh? It sure is… lively."

"In... all honesty," Saffron mumbled in her sleep, "I bet... it was no different... before they were married."

Daemon laughed the liveliness and had a feeling that things will be interesting from now on.

"Do you have any idea of the trouble you've caused!?" Demona screamed, "You almost put two lands at war! And don't get me started on the dangers of reckless magic!"

"D-Dear," her husband hissed, "Don't forget, we have guests."

"All the better when I can show them how foolish my husband is!"

As Demona kept on insulting her husband, Eldred cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention, "Milady, are you aware that you're praising your family? This is your chance to reunite the family and have family life you always wanted. I guess we all got a chance to get rid of our horrible titles."

"But what of the spell on King Erik?"

"Meh. He likes it way too much." Saffron replied, waking up a little sober than before, "Have you seen how many ladies in court that calls him cute?"

Flutter apologised for interrupting a rather "interesting" conversation and asked if Daemon will start his training since he passed the trial. Eldred explained to her that it would've been the case if his father did not come to train him and pass down his skills.

"Isn't that Saffy?" Flutter cheered only to see Saffron asleep again, "Uh…"

Daemon walked up to his father and asked for a favour, "It's just…"

"I know, my son. I read your heart. You are now the Dark Sultan of Al Maajik, your choice is yours alone."

Daemon smiled at his father's answer and Odin chuckled. Daemon walked over to the sleeping girl and gentle shook her awake. She sat up as he said, "Saffron. You and Flutter has done a great service towards Al Maajik and for that I reward you. Meet me at the outskirts if you would."

Saffron slowly nodded and watched Daemon leave. She wondered how long was she asleep for, how much she missed and why she wasn't suffering a hangover. The girl slowly got up off the ground and wobbled a little bit. Flutter asked if she was okay since she was acting ever since this morning. Saffron cringed. She knew the reason why and was a little ashamed to admit it so she lied and said she just feel a little light headed.

* * *

They all went to the outskirts where Daemon was waiting.

"Here," he said, taking revealing their reward, "This is Al Maajik's treasure from the Goddess. Take good care of it on your journey back."

Saffron gasped in horror. It was a gold compass with what looked like a crescent moon on the side. The girl felt her blood turn cold. She knew she had to go through this a third time but something about this treasure activated all of her mental warning signals. Her resolve to withstand the pain when it happens began to waver and she was wondering if she could actually go through with it again.

Odin asked with concern, "Are you okay, Miss Saffron? You seem rather pale."

The butterfly noticed this too and began to worry at her friend's lack of response. The tiny creature explained to everyone about Saffron's amnesia and how the treasures seem to have large chunks of it. Then, without any warning, Saffron fainted.

* * *

Flutter perched herself of Saffron's table as she watched the poor girl rest in her bed. They were back in Castele and the orange rays of the setting sun filled the room. The butterfly heard muffled voice outside and it sounded like Laura and Isobel was trying get past Pam who told them the girl needs her rest. The tiny creature let out a sad sigh and recalled the events before now.

After Saffron fainted, Daemon was the first to take action. Fortunately, he had his letter to King Erik already written so went hurried to get before he gathered Saffron in his arms and teleported himself and Flutter to Castele. They first went to Pam and explained what happened. The landlady wasted no time taking them to Saffron room where Daemon put her to bed. After that, the Dark Sultan went to the King to deliver the treasure and the letter.

"We cannot allow this world to fall into peril." he said to Erik, "You have no greater ally in this battle than Al Maajik."

He wished Flutter and Pam all the best and teleported back to his home.

' _How did this happen?'_ Flutter pondered, _'She didn't look as if she was in pain. Did she even touch it? I might ask the King if we can have a few days off to recover.'_

She then heard the rustling of bed sheets and watched as Saffron slowly sat up. Flutter was more than happy that her friend was not in pain this time, "Saffron! Thank goodness! I was worried and…and…"

She didn't finish her sentence as she saw blue tears roll down the girl's brown cheeks, a sign that meant whatever vision or dream she had was not good.

She was right.

Flutter called out to her friend one more time before she got a quiet response.

"My parents…" Saffron mumbled, "They denied their traditions and their fate, protected me throughout the war and gave me a happy life…and because of that…"

"Saffron?"

"… _they were burnt at the stake…"_

* * *

 **Done and done! Time to take a break. See you next chapter...Zzzzz**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 now.**

 **Disclaimer: I do NOT own the plot of Fantasy Life, just my OC Saffron, Miu, Renia and Sulina**

 **Have fun!**

* * *

Chapter 9

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Pam asked Saffron, "I can always tell the King to give you more time."

Saffron turned to her landlady and shook her head. It has been two weeks since she remembered her parents' death and during those two weeks, the girl has been sitting in bed and rarely leaving her room. All of her friends came to visit after Flutter told Laura. Overtime, Saffron came to realised how selfish she was being. She mourned for her parents' after she remembered it so what more can she do? Furthermore, there's a world that needed saving, niece to find and one last piece of her memories she needed to find. There was no time to act all doom and gloom! With that in mind, Saffron was ready to set off on her next quest.

The girl and the butterfly hurried to the royal court as Erik sent her a letter stating that they found something incredible. Saffron burst through door and exclaimed, "I have arrived…and I skipped breakfast."

"Saffy!" Laura cheered and ran to hug her dear friend, "I have been waiting for so long."

' _And by 'so long' you mean roughly thirty minutes,'_ Saffron thought.

King Erik told Saffron and Flutter that they have been summoned on an urgent matter regarding the Goddess's Treasures.

Hughes then continued by explaining that he has been researching deeply into the matter and found a tremendous discovery: there are actually more than three Goddess's Treasures! According to the Legend of Lunares, the Goddess gave a treasure to each land of Reveria: Castele, Port Puerto and Al Maajik.

"But that's only three," Saffron pointed out, "How is there more than…oooh. You overlooked one, didn't you?"

"Indeed," Hughes confirmed, "This land's ruler is not human. It's the Great Spirit: governor of all monsters and beasts!"

"Waaait wait wait wait," Saffron interrupted, "Are you telling me that all those monsters that I've defeated has a ruler?"

Hughes nodded.

"Wow…I suddenly feel terrible about myself now."

King Erik went on to say that both Hughes and himself are fairly certain that the final Goddess's Treasure is somewhere in the fourth land, "My loyal subjects, do you know I ask of you?"

Saffron thought about this. Although Hughes's prediction might be right, she could tell that getting the fourth treasure would not be easy since it's in a land of monsters. She may have missed 3 centuries of her life but she could tell that being a monster herself, humans are probably the _last_ species to trust (along with angels that are hell-bent with purifying the world from evil). A human gaining a monster's or spirit's trust is nearly impossible and with her almost human-like appearance, she was going to have trouble big time.

"You're asking for the almost impossible," Saffron replied loud and clear, shocking everyone in the court, "Most monsters have a longer lifespan than humans and with all due of respect Your Highness, some of you humans take pleasure of hunting us down and taking us out. And even if there was a peaceful negotiation between the two races, it will most likely be short lived because some humans are greedy enough to backstab for the right price."

Everyone was silence. They already heard from the landlady that Saffron was not human but they wasn't expecting to hear that from her. The King asked her if she was refusing his request which the girl answered no but she was just warning them about the negotiation barrier. Queen Ophelia then smiled sadly and said in a quiet voice, "You're speaking from experience, aren't you?"

Saffron nodded. Laura asked her mother how could she possibly know and the woman explained that a friend of hers told about how humans invaded a sacred forest and two of the children was sent to her protection.

Hughes cleared his throat and brought to everyone's attention that neither he nor the King has any idea on where the fourth land would be as it was only spoken in legends.

"The Great Spirit…Danuta…" Ophelia muttered lowly.

Everyone heard her and asked if she knew something. However, she said that the place is forbidden to enter and it was out of bounds just as they desired it.

"B-B-But dearest!" the king whined, "If the world ends, they'll perish just like the rest of us."

' _That may be true,'_ Saffron thought, _'but I'm actually leaning towards respecting their desires…and I'm the one who's running this errand.'_

"I…I'll consider it." Ophelia said dejectedly and silently walked away. Saffron watched at the woman walked past her. She could not help but feel sorry for the woman and Laura felt the same way. Suddenly, a guard came rushing in with urgent news: a huge Doom Stone has fallen in the Elderwood!

King Erik was worried. If a huge Doom Stone has fallen into a place full of monsters and they all became violent at once, it will be chaos. He ordered Hughes to gather the troops and head to Elderwood. He then turned towards Saffron and Flutter and told them to provide the troops with assistance. The two was about to leave when the princess stopped them. She leaned in and whispered in Saffron's ear before leaving the room.

* * *

Saffron and Flutter walked down the hall when Ophelia stopped them, "Saffron, Flutter…"

The girl curtsied to the Queen, "Your Highness."

"Is it true that Doom Stone has fallen upon Elderwood?"

"Yes Your Highness." Saffron replied, "We're just on our why to naturalise it."

Ophelia seemed reluctant to speak but then then relaxed, "That forest forms a border between the human world and the spirit world and the humans are forbidden to enter...but you knew already."

"Yes…" Saffron hanged her head. She knew that for her mother raised her in a similar place for thirty years before the humans and angels broke in and destroyed everything. After that, she was given to her father, her mother was mostly likely kidnapped and her father took her to the hidden island where she met Sulina, Miu and Renia.

"But since neither of you are human, I have a feeling that you two will be all right." Ophelia said with a sweet smile, "I have absolute faith that you two will find the treasure bestowed upon the sprits."

She explained how Elderwood is the fourth land that it ruled by the Great Spirit, Danuta and no-one is allowed in the place where Danuta lives without the spirits' blessing. Flutter asked why was Ophelia telling them this. The woman took a deep breath before saying, "I have something to ask of you two. When you see the children of the forest, please give them this."

She then gave them a letter and this time Saffron did not read it.

"Children of the forest?" the tiny creature repeated.

"You'll know them when you see them." Ophelia giggled and pulled the girl into a hug, "May you have a safe journey, dearest child of the forest."

Saffron at this point was trying her hardest not to shed a tear. Ophelia reminded her of the kind humans who protected her home from hunters and even laid down their lives for them. As for the 'child of the forest', she hasn't been called that for a long time and she missed that title so much. She said goodbye to the Queen and went through the castle doors. It didn't surprise her that Laura was waiting there as she did whisper in her ear, "I'm goin' with you!"

As usual, she was excited about the Doom Stone expedition in Elderwood which was rumoured to have whacking trees and dangerous bears. Also there was something her mother told her years ago but her memory's kind of fuzzy at the moment. Besides, it might not be important.

* * *

Before they set off to Elderwood, Pam asked them to come to her house as she was instructed to do something. She took Saffron away to her bedroom while Flutter and Laura waited in the kitchen. The chubby woman explained that Ophelia had sent her a letter asking her to do this as a request from a special friend.

"Who is this special friend?" Laura asked.

"I don't know," Pam replied, "But it seemed they really wanted me to do this…there. All done!"

The door creaked and Saffron stepped out, wearing a white blouse, maroon bodice, a brown flowing skirt, black stockings and black flats underneath her red cloak. Her two friends were surprised at Saffron's new look. Flutter was the first to speak, "Aww! You look cute!"

Saffron's cheeks reddened at this compliment. No-one has described her as cute before and it made her feel small. Laura grinned at her reaction and commented that the choice of clothes suits her to a tee which made the girl's cheeks redder. That was when the princess noticed a wooden basket hung from her arm and whistled, "Wow. You're really going for the 'Red Riding Hood' theme, huh."

"Huh?" Saffron questioned before remembering the basket, "Oh! No, this basket has some food I cooked in case we got hungry. My bag is full."

"Full of what?"

"Weapons, tools and things I haven't sold yet."

* * *

When they were ready, the girls and their tiny friend set out to Elderwood and Pam prayed for them to have a safe journey.

Elderwood is located north of the Grassy Plains and since it was a short distance, the girls agreed to go there by foot. When they arrived, there were greeted with a peaceful silence mixed with softly swaying trees and the starry night sky. The three were in awe to how peaceful the forest could be when it's not infested by monsters. Unfortunately, the peaceful silence was broken by the familiar voices of Pierre and Butch.

"Please snap out of it, bro!" Butch plead to Pierre along with his pet Chomp.

The girl asked what was going on and Butch explained that ever since they met that stranger, Pierre has been acting all weird.

"MuSt FiNd tHe DoOm StOnE…" Pierre droned as he looked around.

"See?" Butch cried, "He's being weirder than usual."

"Butch! Hold your tongue." Pierre suddenly scolded as if he was back to normal.

"He's normal again." Flutter observed.

"No MoRe ScHeMiNg. nOw We'Re MoDeL CiTiZeNs," Pierre suddenly said with droopy eyes and a sing song voice, "wE PiCk MuShRoOmS…wE CoLlEcT TrAsH…"

"Aaaand he's back to weird." Laura added.

"You see?" Butch cried once more, "It's that strange girl, I tell ya!"

Flutter groaned as she now knows who he was talking about and Saffron commented on how this further proves that this 'girl' of theirs has a really strange taste in men. According to the 'normal' Pierre, a Doom Stone has indeed fallen in the forest but the Paladin that are scouting the forest are in their way. Before they could get any more information, Pierre became weird again and pranced away with his brother and hatchling in tow. As much as the girls like to discuss how bizarre that conversation was, they still have a Doom Stone to fins so they carried on.

Deeper into the forest, they found Hughes examining a stone tablet. He was mumbling to himself about how it is a historical artefact made with the same material as the Goddess Statue in Castele and how there might be other objects left in the forest from ancient times. He looked at the forest that was across the bridge, "I wonder what's up ahead?"

"…Nothing's that's what."

Everyone was surprised at the new voice that came to play and they were even more surprised when a young blue haired man wearing a green hat appeared out of nowhere, "You may not pass. Consider yourselves warned, Hoomins for we…are the forest dwellers."

The Paladins shrieked in surprised and Hughes demanded to know the man's name. The stranger just sighed and went on, "Long ago you Castelians swore an oath to…to…Hoomin, what are you doing?"

He stopped was he was saying and looked down on Saffron who was patting his chest. The girl pat his chest a few more time and looked up at him, "I see you have been blessed by the gods of Man Puberty. I can even feel a six pack peeking out."

The man jumped at the feeling of her hand rubbing his abdomen and slowly going lower. He quickly moved away from her before she could go below his hips. His cheeks reddened at the sudden and strange interaction and he stuttered, "Y-You've been w-warned, Hoomins! Turn back o-or face the f-f-forest's wraith!"

With that, he vanished into thin air. Everyone except Saffron was stunned at this strange event and Laura looked at Saffron who had a smile similar to that of a cat plastered on her face.

* * *

Celestria watched with utter confusion as Queen Sulina, Renia and Miu were staring intensely into the water in her basin as it showed Saffron talking to the princess and the butterfly about the sacred oath the Castelians made to the monsters. She was already confused when first Miu showed up but now she was rather baffled when Renia and Sulina arrived. Miu reported to Sulina and Renia and when she said that Saffron was heading Elderwood, the two rushed to get here by using a magic mirror which led them to what they're doing now.

"The 'doki dokis' are unusually high considering how long they've been apart." Renia stated with a stern face.

"Indeed," Miu agreed, "If this keeps up, we might have an unexpected winner."

"I wouldn't get my hopes up," Sulina countered, "Have we all forgotten how stubborn _he_ is?"

This made the goddess even more confused. Doki? Winner? He? What on Earth were these three girls talking about?! She gave up trying to understand them when Miu walked up to her and smiled. She said to the goddess, "I sense you feel left out because you have no idea what we are talking about. Well, how about I give you a little update?"

* * *

Laura, Saffron and Flutter decided to head further into the forest, despite the funny- looking man's warning and Saffron in particular looked very happy about it. The princess asked, "Saffron, do you know the guy? It seems unlike you to be quickly drawn to a complete stranger."

Her friend giggled and was about explain when they heard a girl's scream. They ran to the source and saw a young blonde girl with a Wind spirit being attacked by a pair of shadowy wolves. Flutter looked around but she couldn't see a Doom Stone anywhere. Laura took out her sword and stated that they should only forget about the stone for now and focus on saving the girl. She lunged towards one of the wolves and swung her sword. It barely made contact and she manage to wound it. However, the wolf was still standing and its partner was sneaking behind her, ready to attack.

"Laura, watch out!" Flutter screamed. The redhead turned around just in time to see the wolf pounce on her. She fell onto her back with the shadowy wolf on top, trying to snap her face off when it was tackled a slightly bigger wolf with dark fur and red eyes. The two shadows then turned their interest onto their new prey while the bigger wolf snarled. Laura scrambled to safety and watched as the newcomer fought against the shadowy creatures and bit one of them in the neck, "W…Where did he come from?!"

"A better question would be is he on our side?" Flutter added. She asked Saffron what she thought about this but got no response. She called Saffron's named and again, no response. The butterfly looked at her friend only to find her missing and in her place was just her beloved cloak laying on the ground. She briefly panicked and looked around for her friend, worried that she might be seriously injured but she couldn't find her anywhere, "Saffron! Where are you?"

Laura just watched the as the shadowy wolves ran away and the red eyed wolf just snarled at them. He then turned into a big mass of dark matter before it formed into figure. The darkness then faded away and there stood Saffron with blood dripping from her mouth. Flutter was shocked by this, "S-S-Saffron!? I didn't know you can changed into a wolf."

Saffron looked at her hand with jaded eyes. Because of her constant exposure of the Doom Stones, the dark side of her bloodline has been more active and the fact she can now change into a wolf shows that the Doom Stones has also awaken her dormant wolf blood.

' _I'm becoming more of a dangerous threat,'_ Saffron thought, _'Better get rid of the Doom before I lose control.'_

* * *

"Saffron…" Sulina mumbled as she, Miu, Renia and Celestria watched from the Realm of the Almighty.

"It's bad enough that the stress of saving the world is resting on her shoulders again," Renia pointed out, "Now, she has to face her inner demons."

"Don't worry. Saffron's mentality is stronger than all of ours and she proved that already," Miu said, "There's no doubt in my mind that she could easily overcome this."

Celestria watched as the young girl they saved, Leilah, led Saffron and her friends to a secret village where they met the forest dweller named Pino the leaf spirits. She then heard a loud set of heartbeats which the other girls call 'doki dokis' and the louder the heartbeats, the stronger the doki dokis, "So…what's the backstory between Pino and Saffron if there is one?"

Renia mused about it and shrugged, saying that Saffron rarely mentioned him during their refuge on the island. However, Sulina has heard of him and has even seen him once. The Queen explained that before the war started, Saffron's grandmother (who was the Red Queen at the time) invited Sulina's family to a special ball held at the Ruby Heart Palace to celebrate Saffron's thirtieth birthday. During her time there, Sulina often spotted Saffron with a small blue-haired boy, running around and teaching him how to waltz.

"I even saw him giving her something before her grandmother called her and gave her the music box." Sulina finished.

"What did he give her?" Celestria inquired, mentally squealing at the image of a tiny Saffron.

"I don't know." Sulina answered, "No matter how much I ask her, she wouldn't show it to me. Their friendship is that strong."

"Looks like we're going to find out." Miu chirped and pointed at the basin as it showed Saffron standing in front of Pino's house.

* * *

The red eyed girl has never felt as nervous as she did the day before her coronation as the Red Queen. Scratch that, she's more nervous now than she was then. She really wanted to talk to Pino properly after not seeing him for over three centuries. He was hostile towards them but at least he was kind enough to let them stay the night as a 'thank you' for saving his little sister, Leilah before kicking them out of the village. Besides, she can't really blame him after what happened to their old home. It was clear that he didn't want the past to repeat itself. So why was she standing in front of his house late at night?

To get some answers.

Saffron noticed that when Pino took a good look at her, he looked shocked and yet relieved. She thought back and realised it was the same with Sulina, Renia and Miu. Plus, there was something she lost a long time ago and she prayed that Pino had it. With that in mind, the girl took a dep breath and stormed into the hut, "Pino!"

The forest dweller jolted at her call and turned around. His stern face was faltering a little bit and girl felt sorry for bursting in unannounced but it has to be done. Pino regained his calm and collected and asked, "Can I hel-"

"I'm bunking with you tonight!"

First came nothing. Next Pino's eyes widened in shock and confusion. Then his whole reddened and finally, he yelled, "Eeeeeeeh!?"

She knew that he would react this way so she explained that since Laura, Flutter, the innkeeper and herself couldn't fit in one bed, she gave her space and decided to go to his place. Pino's cheeks was still red but he calmed down. Slowly he walked towards her, carefully going around the pot on the fire. He kept on walking until they were inches apart. He lifted up one of his hands and instead of pushing her put like she expected, he cupped her cheek and with his thumb, he wiped away the wet trail under her eyes, "Have…you been crying?"

"N-No!" Saffron denied quickly. Still, her body betrayed her and tears began fleeing for her eyes. An overwhelming feeling of sadness and nostalgia hit her hard and before she could stop herself, she was in Pino's arms, crying her eyes out. Ever since she remembered him, the time they shared and how they were split apart, it was no surprised that she missed him and was worried about him. When they were children, it was usually Pino who was the cry baby and Saffron who was the consoling one. Now, the roles has been switched with her crying and him reassuring her that everything will be alright. After a few minutes, the sat on Pino's leaf hammock and the man asked what was troubling her.

"Pino," the girl said in a depressing voice, "I…I can't help but feel like I was the cause of the war and the destruction of our old home. And yet, people are expecting me to save world after world when I can't protect my own niece from a wizard."

Saffron could feel her negative emotions getting stronger and stronger, almost reaching breaking point. Pino pulled her into another hug and stroked her hair, "How long have you been holding these feelings?"

"Two years. Heh, pathetic right?"

"Saffron…"

The girl chuckled. Her emotions were spiralling out of control and she couldn't straight. Luckily, she knew one method that always calms her down. She laid down on the hammock and relaxed before closing her eyes. She then peeked at Pino to see if he got the message but he just sat there looking confused so she grabbed his sleeve and pulled him down. She said to him that she was not in the right state of mind at the moment and she was getting tired so they should sleep. The forest dweller said nothing in response. He just pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her. Saffron squirmed at his sudden boldness but he did not let go. The girl's eyes began to close as the scent of the forest along with the beating of his heart was enough to send her to sleep.

* * *

"Wow…" Sulina muttered, "This is the very first time Miu was wrong."

Miu frowned. She was sure Saffron was going to cry in Pino's arms and then he shows her the secret gift and remind her of their childhood memories. It happened in all those romance novels she read. But then again…this outcome is better. An idea popped into her mind and she whispered it to Celestria who grinned mischievously and lifted a finger.

* * *

The first thing Saffron heard when she woke up was not the usual songs of the morning birds but the giggles of girls that were nearly transformed into laughter. She was not a morning person was wanted to sleep more on the hammock.

Wait.

Saffron felt around the hammock and the softness on the leaf was replaced with a material that strangely soft and hard at the same time. Feeling around some more, she felt bumps underneath a cotton fabric. Her stomach churned at her suspicions and it was confirmed when the heartbeat from last night was a little louder and a groan came from above her head. The girl shot up from her position and just as she feared, she was no sleeping next to Pino but rather on top on him. The man's hat was now hung on the wall, most of his clothes were on the floor and he was only wearing vest and shorts.

' _Uwaaaaaaaaaah!'_ Saffron's head screamed and her cheeks burned with embarrassment, _'This is bad! I'm fully clothed but still, this is bad! When did he strip? Did I strip him?! Oh Celestria, don't let it be so! If someone walks in and find us like this, they will most likely say…'_

"Wow. I never thought you two would be _that_ close."

A woman's voice stopped her rambling mind. She slowly turned to the door where Elmie, Laura and Flutter were standing. Elmie had a wide grin on her face, Laura's had her hands covered her red face but couldn't resist peeking and Flutter was flapping her wings very quickly, something she does every time she's embarrassed. Saffron stared at the three females and stuttered, "U-Uh…t-this isn't what it looks l-like!"

"Hmm? You mean to tell me it's not mating season?" Elmie asked.

"M-M-Mating season!?" Saffron yelled, unintentionally waking Pino.

He rubbed his eyes and looked up at Saffron and then turned to side where the girls were. It took some time to process was happening. As soon as his mind clicked, he shot up to explain himself. However, his sudden movement caught Saffron off guard and the two tumbled the hammock and onto the floor. Elmie laughed, "Well it seems you two are kinda busy so we'll just leave."

"Aww," Laura whined, "But I wanna see the naughty bi-argh!"

She didn't get to finished what she was saying as her face was hit by a bucket Saffron threw at her.

* * *

Miu chuckled darkly and Sulina sighed, "You do know that the _second_ time you've done this, right?"

Celestria squealed. This was all so exciting. She never played cupid before and she was certain Fate was going to scold her for interfering with his niece's love but she doesn't care. At least she brought it up a notch. All she need to do now is decide her ultimate OTP.

* * *

"I thank you again for saving my sister," Pino said as he lifted the seal, "But as I said before, Hoomins are not welcome here and as you promise, you- yeouch!"

He turned to glare Saffron with his hands on his stinging backside. The girl just waved an envelope in his face, "I forgot to give you this. It's from Lady Ophelia and she said to give it to the 'children of the 'forest'."

"Mother!?" Laura exclaimed.

Pino read the letter and said that the Great Spirit needs to see this. He also mentioned how he heard of Ophelia but before he can say more, a Leafe ran over with terrible news: Leilah suddenly fainted.

Everyone ran to the opening with Leilah laid. She was still alive but her breathing was shallow and her face scrunched up in pain. One of her hands were covered in a shadowy mist. Pino kneeled in front of his sister, panicking that he has never seen this condition before and none of the forest medicine is helping. Laura deduced that since Leilah was bitten by the shadowy creatures created by the Doom Stone, she might've caught that condition through their bite and since she's half human, half beast, the Doom Stone has affected her as well. The princess glanced at her friend and wondered why she wasn't affected if she's also part beast. Flutter had idea and proposed that she use her powers to slow down the effects of the Doom Stone. Then transformed into the girl in the white robes.

"Wait! You're the girl from Snowpeak!?" Laura cried and her eyes widened with shock.

The girl looked at them with a sad smile and confessed that her real name is Yuelia. She turned to Leilah and saw that the shadowy mist was spreading fast. With a stretched out arm, she managed to slow down the mist.

"Saffron, Laura!" Yuelia said to them, "I'll hold of the Doom Stone's affects. You two will have to destroy it."

"Got it!" Laura replied and she Saffron ran towards the exit of the village. Pino quickly followed them and offered to be their guide.

They didn't get far when they ran into Butch and Pierre. The blonde man was possessed again and another butterfly came along.

"Did you find the Doom Stone?" she asked the two ex-thieves.

"W-We're trying!" Pierre replied, regaining control over his consciousness, "I-It's not as easy as you think!"

The butterfly then turned into a girl. She look very similar to Yuelia but with dark skin, purple hair, yellow eyes and donned black robes. She then noticed Saffron and her group, "Where's little miss goody-two shoes?"

"My sister has been bitten by those shadows monsters," Pino explained, "Yuelia is trying to stop the spread and we're off to destroy the Doom Stone."

"Heh, always the little saviour," Noelia muttered, "Still…from what you've told me…I don't think saving her is as simple as smashing the stone."

"What!?" Pino exclaimed.

Noelia explained that unlike the monsters that were affected externally, the Doom's Stone powers went directly into Leilah's bloodstream and the same thing can happen vice versa. Because this was an interesting case, she was willing to help. She sent Pierre and Butch off to gather some mushrooms while she told the trio to destroy the stone and bring the shards to her so she can s make a potion that could possibly save Leilah's life. She then transformed into a butterfly headed to the village where she'll be waiting. Pino looked unsure, "Can we trust her?"

"It's the only lead we've got," Saffron answered, "If smashing the stone doesn't work, at least we have an alternative."

The other two agreed and they continued their search for the Doom Stone. As they were searching, a wolf drenched in the shadowy mist appeared and attacked them. Luckily, Pino quickly took out his knife and used the back of the blade and the hilt as a shield and pushed the beast back. The dark creature flew a few feet away and landed on the ground with a thud.

"We must be close." Pino muttered, "I can feel its dark presence."

The three followed the dark aura until they reached to a small secluded place with a small hut. They found a huge Doom Stone by the trees but unfortunately, it was being protected by three shadowy wolves. Sweat rolled down Laura's forehead, "Damn. I was hoping for it to be a smooth ride from here. Luckily, it's a three on three. Pino and I will distract the beast while Saffron can destroy…Saffron?"

The redhead turned to her friend who has been strangely quiet and inactive. Usually, Saffron would go ahead and destroy the stone but now she was just standing there in silence. Laura was about call her when Saffron asked, "Do remember what Noelia said?"

"Yeah why?"

The princess looked at her sad friend who stretched out an arm that was hidden in her cloaked. Laura and Pino looked horrified as Saffron's arm was covered in the shadowy mist. The princess then remembered that Saffron bit into one of the shadow creatures and some of its blood entered into her mouth and out of instinct, she swallowed it, meaning that the Doom Stone's powers is also within her bloodstream and she's been holding it off all this time, "Couldn't your goddess blood do something!?"

"The darkness is currently overpowering the light," Saffron explained, "My mother's blood isn't enough to purify it so Laura…I'm telling you now…run."

A big mass of dark matter suddenly shot out of the ground and engulfed Saffron's being. Surprised at this, Laura and Pino moved back. They watched helplessly as their friend change into the wolf she was before but dowsed in purple mist. Laura clenched her teeth. They were greatly outnumbered now. A part of her wanted to run and grab Yuelia but the other didn't want to leave Saffron behind. Pino, on the other hand, already had a plan.

"Laura, was it?" he said not taking his eyes off his new opponent, "Can anyone destroy the Doom Stone or is Saffron the only one who can do it?"

"Anyone can break the stone with enough force." the princess answered, glaring at the other three wolves.

"Alright then…you do it."

"Wait what!?"

"You'll destroy the stone while I keep the monsters distracted. Hopefully, Saffron will return to normal. She has too."

Laura was moved by his motivation and agreed with the plan. The girl dashed towards the Stone with her sword in hand while Pino stared down the wolves, careful not to make any sudden movements.

' _Hang in there Saffron,'_ they both thought, _'We're going to save you.'_

* * *

 _When the darkness engulfed her, first there was peaceful silence. Next was the sound of something cracking and finally, there was a sound of glass shattering. Now, her body was aching all over, she was cold and she had another headache. The girl groaned in pain and opened her eyes. Grey clouds covered the sky and the rain fell heavily and the thunder rumbled. Planks of wood seemed to be swaying left and right and the smell of the salty sea invaded her nose. Upon, getting up, she was quick to realize she was on a ship that was currently sailing in extremely bad weather. Normally, she would slightly panic at a situation like this but she didn't. This scenery was so very familiar to her. Saffron turned her head to the right and saw a silhouette of an island in the distance. Even though it was far, Saffron's heart knew that it was her home, Celicia Island. A thin stream of smoke rose from the island and with her clairvoyance, she saw angels in bloody armour piling maimed and burnt corpses of werewolves, vampires and witches. A sad sigh escaped her lips, 'This must've been after my parents' execution. But what memory is…'_

 _Her thoughts trailed off as her head began to hurt again. It was as if someone was repeatedly punching her head with all their might, each blow more painful and harder than the last. The girl clutched her head as pain continue to increase. Suddenly, the pain disappeared and left her lightheaded._

" _Saffron."_

 _The unexpected deep voice made Saffron jumped and she turned around to see Aquila in gold armour looking down on a child._

 _It was her._

 _Saffron watched as her younger self glared at her former mentor. Her pink dress was in tatters, there was no red pendant around her neck and in her hand was the music box that her father- no, her grandmother gave her on her thirtieth birthday. At first, she felt weird seeing her younger self before but then she remembered it was the same with the fake memories. Yet, it still felt weird. She watched as the scene played before her._

" _Saffron," Aquila addressed the child, "It's time to end this game of cat and mouse. Enough damaged has been done. Let's go home."_

 _The little girl stretched out her hand and smacked the man's hand away. Her glare grew more intense and her older counterpart could feel the burning rage within her heart. Aquila looked shocked at her actions and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you going against your own teacher?"_

" _Do you really think that…" the child growled, "…after all this, I will jump into your arms and accept you as family?!"_

" _I am the only one willing enough to give you a second chance."_

 _Saffron looked confused by the man's answer. What exactly has she done that was unforgivable? All she did was live a sheltered carefree life. Her child self was also confused and she demanded him to explain himself._

 _The man sighed and gave her a cold stare, "All this is your fault, Saffron. The war…the destruction of your home…the death of your parents…all of it was simply caused by you being born."_

 _The older Saffron chuckled at the ludicrous answer. He has reminded her that her existence was not the cause of the war but his delusional mind. She listened as her younger self replied, "You're wrong, Aquila! If you didn't have that stupid idea of me having the power to wipe out all evil of the world along with some stupid wedding in the first place, none of this would ever happened!"_

 _The older girl agreed. Because of her mixed blood, Aquila somehow believed that she was a pure and innocent saint sent to wipe away all the evil and create a perfect world for them to marry in. The man spread this idea and some celestial beings believed him. They became corrupted and tried to steal Saffron for themselves. Their first attempt was to keep Saffron locked in the Observatory but after five years, Nubian freed her and ran away. Their second attempt happened twenty five years later when they not only destroyed the Ruby Heart palace but manipulated the humans into invading the sacred forest and kidnapping her mother. Their final attack was on Celicia Island where they and the humans who betrayed the monsters on the island executed her parents and all the other monsters and angels who went against them._

 _As her memories played back in her mind, the girl clenched her hand hard enough to draw blood. Back when she had no memories, Saffron often wondered why she didn't like Aquila apart from him being the strictest teacher in the whole Observatory. Now it all made sense: not only did he betray her more than once but he also started a war and killed her parents. Her anger doubled as she felt the rage from her younger self and continued to flare up until a pink magic circle formed around the younger girl's feet. The circle's glowing light was enough to soothe her anger and remember what happened next, "That's right…I…"_

 _Aquila was shocked to see the circle there and question little Saffron's intentions. The child explained that if she just let her anger get the best of her, there will be more destruction and it could possibly destroy the world so to prevent that, she is going to seal herself away._

" _Foolish child!" the bald Celestrian shouted, instantly losing his cold and calm composure as the circle was beginning to glow, "What good would that do? I'll just simply wait for your return and we can finally wed!"_

" _Alright," child Saffron said with a grin, "I do one better…I'll seal away my memories."_

" _W-What?"_

" _Of course, knowing you, you probably do something like planet fake memories or place another soul in my body. However they will return and when that day comes…get ready for Hell."_

 _A beam of light then rose above the clouds and the circle's power tore the ship in two. Elder Saffron and Aquila made it safely into the air but the child was nowhere to be found. The red-eyed girl smiled sadly as she spotted a dim pink glow in the ocean where the sealed child was. Aquila glared at the light and scoffed, "Hmph! No matter… I can tell those boys that Saffron had a little "accident"."_

* * *

"Why isn't it working!?" Pino cried as he stared at the wolf that was still drowsed in the shadowy mist. Earlier, Laura broke the Doom Stone, causing all the affected monsters to fall unconscious, including Saffron. The two brought both the shards and Saffron back to the village where Noelia made the potion. They first tried on Leilah and the mist flew away from the affected parts and she was completely cured. Everyone cheered at the potion's success but their happiness was short lived when they found out that it had no effect on Saffron at all.

"Why isn't working!?" Pino cried again, panic reflected in his eyes.

"It must be her blood," Noelia suggested, "Perhaps the power of the Doom Stone along with the dark blood she inherited was too much for the potion to handle, thus not curing her from the darkness."

Laura gasped in horror and used her hands to cover mouth, "Does that mean we're too late?"

"No!" Pino shouted in denial and he hugged the unconscious wolf's body. He had already lost her once and he was not going to lose her again. The forest dweller shut his eyes tight to seal away the tears that were almost free, "I…I can't lose her again. Please…"

Suddenly, a pink glowing circled formed underneath Pino and Saffron. Everyone was surprised by this as no-one saw anyone cast a spell. Laura the pointed at the two and exclaimed, "Look!"

Pino looked at where the princess was pointing as gasped to see the same circle on Saffron's forehead briefly before it faded away with the bigger circle. Then, the shadowy mist left Saffron's body, leaving her in her normal state. The girl fluttered her eyes open to see everyone looking down on her with bewilderment. She weakly smiled and chuckled, "Hey guys."

Overwhelmed by happiness, Pino hugged her tighter as everyone cheered. Saffron was pretty tired considering she broke her own seal, watched her last memory being played back to her and purified her own soul from the Doom Stone's darkness. She was considering sneaking in a nap when she heard Pino's wavering voice whispering, "Don't ever leave me again."

' _I won't now that I found you again.'_ Saffron thought before spotting Yuelia walking away from the crowd. She gently pushed the man away and follow the blonde girl, "Yuelia?"

Yuelia jumped before looking at Saffron with a tear stained face, "Saffron…I'm so sorry for not telling you the truth. I-I didn't want to trick everyone. I've wanted to tell you the truth for the longest time."

"So why didn't you?" Saffron asked.

"I…I was afraid that you wouldn't believe me. Will…will you…forgive me?"

Saffron stared at the girl in front of her and chuckled.

"Of course I'll forgive you!" she answered, placing a hand on Yuelia's head, "You're like a sister to me if I was in your shoes, I would probably do the same. Besides, in a world full of heroes, dragons and magic, anything's possible right?"

"Saffron…"

"You can me Saffy."

"Saffy…thank you!" Yuelia cheered and she threw her arms around her friend. Saffron laughed and returned the gesture. She always knew that Yuelia and Flutter were the same person but never brought it up because she wanted to enjoy her friend's company, not make it awkward. She also forgave Celestria for altering her memories because she could understand the sadness of seeing one remembering something traumatic.

Aquila…was another story. She have forgave him once for betraying her and the other Celestrians in order to get closer to the Gittish Emperor but having regained her memories and learning he was the cause of her suffering and the loss of her parents, was she really willing to forgive him again? The girl pushed that question aside, _'It can wait… I have more important things to deal with here.'_

Laura joined them as Yuelia explained that Noelia is her sister and they were looking for the same thing: a way to save Reveria from the approaching doom with the power of wishes.

"My father told me," Yuelia explained, "'Told save this world from destruction, you must use the power of wishes, a power that has all but gone from Reveria'. There must be a connection between the power of wishes and each Life in this world."

"So you and your sister came to Reveria to find that power," Saffron guessed.

"Yes…however, we got separated on our way here." Yuelia finished. The girls then heard Pino calling them over, saying that the Great Spirit wishes to see them.

"Weren't we unproven?" Yuelia asked.

"Well…the Great Spirit…read your letter…"

' _Who gave her the letter?'_ Saffron's mind questioned, _'It wasn't Pino because he was with me and Laura and we just showed him the letter before we set out and it couldn't have been Yuelia as she was busy saving Leilah. So who gave her the letter…the spirits?'_

"And she deemed you proven. We forest dwellers have a special agreement with certain members of the Castele royal family. She waits for you up north. Head there when you are ready."

* * *

After the girls grilled the meat in Saffron basket and had a hearty meal, the girls went to meet the Great Spirit. Danuta was a giant purple bear with leaves on her head and back. She spoke of the hour of reckoning that draws near as the dark stones fall and the Lunares are clouded over, "Everyone must join hands as it is time to fulfil the promise that was made to Goddess Celestia: the child of humans, children of the forest and child of Lunares."

"Wait, 'Child of Lunares'? Who is…" Laura started but then saw Saffron pointing at Yuelia, "…Is there you know _nothing_ about?"

"The meaning of life." Saffron blankly replied.

"So…Yuelia comes from the big, round thing in the sky?"

"Yes…I am not from Reveria." Yuelia replied.

"You are also the daughter of the Goddess Celestia, are you not Child Lunares?" Danuta inquired before turning to Saffron, "Just as you are the daughter of Goddess Nubian, Child of the forest."

Laura was shocked to know that both of her friends were daughters of powerful celestial beings. Yuelia then asked Danuta if there was a chance that monsters had wishes just like humans so that they have more of a chance of saving the world. The Great Spirit said that monsters are mainly part of nature which is why they were easily affected by Doom Stone. Spirits, however, are different as they have developed from the base stage and Goddess Celestia was the one that taught them the way to humanity. It was then an unexpected guest arrived.

"M-Mother!?" Laura yelped at the sight of her mother and Hughes, "Hughes too!?"

"It has been a long time, hasn't it?" Danuta chuckled.

"Yes. I was only a child when I played in this forest." Ophelia replied with a small giggle.

Hughes explained to the huge bear that upon examining the Goddess treasures Saffron and Yuelia got from Castele, Port Puerto and Al Maajik, he and Ophelia has come to a conclusion that these treasures are parts of a ship, more specifically, the Goddess Ship. Danuta has confirmed that they were indeed correct and the ship currently sits on the top of the Spirit Tree, the biggest tree in Reveria that Danuta has preserved for many years. The bear then gave Saffron the last Goddess Treasure: the Goddess Deck. She then hand it over to the researcher how was having a hard time containing his excitement. He carefully took the treasure and examined it. Danuta gave them permission to enter the tree. Pino teleported to the entrance and stared at the bushes. He told the bushes, "You, hiding in the bushes. You can also come."

Out of the bushes came Pierre and Butch and Saffron was more worried than surprised that her friend allowed two former crooks to come with them.

* * *

As the group ascended up the spiral stairway of the Spirit Tree, Saffron made her way to the front and tugged on Pino's shirt to get his attention.

"Are you sure about this?" she hissed, "I mean Butch is tolerable but I feel Pierre is gonna cause a _lot_ of problems."

"This is what Danuta wants," the forest dweller whispered back, "It is my duty to fulfil her needs."

"Yeah but have you seen the way he has been staring at her? I'm telling you he's up to no good."

Saffron knew that Pino was having a hard time with Pierre being infatuated with his little sister, Leilah just as she was, "Look. We just have to put up with this for the rest of the day. After that, hopefully, they'll go back to their normal lives."

' _Hopefully,'_ Saffron thought before she looked over her shoulder. Her heart jolted at the sight of Leilah happily talking to Yuelia and Pierre staring at her with lovey-dovey eyes and has a hand slowly reaching to her shoulder. Her protective instincts kicked in and swiftly made a small plan, "Leilah, come here please!"

"Coming!" Leilah replied and ran up to her, "Yes?"

"Pino wants to hold your hand."

"Aww!" Leilah cooed and held his hand, "Why didn't you say so, silly?"

Pino blushed and mumbled, "B-Because it's embarrassing."

The brown girl watched the cute interaction between the two siblings and then looked over at Pierre. He scowled at her, not happy with what she did. Saffron, on the other hand, was proud of her little save and a smug grin painted itself on her face.

* * *

The group finally reached to the top of the tree where they saw a well maintained airship stuck in the trees branches. Everyone stared in awe at the majestic vessel and Hughes ran over there to investigate it further. Yuelia was also enthusiastic about exploring the ship and dragged Laura and Saffron along. As Saffron and Laura was standing at the deck while Yuelia was inside, Laura asked, "Hey Saffron, I was wondering…since your mother was a goddess too, did she have an airship or something?"

"I don't really know about my mother having an airship," Saffron answered with a thoughtful look, "But a senior of mine had a train that was used to escort departed souls to the afterlife."

"Cool."

"It was…until a certain fairy thought it was a good idea to spray the whole damn thing in pink, take it for a joyride and completely smashed the thing." the girl added, grimacing at the memory of the souls fearing they'd be stuck in limbo, "I had to confiscate her driving license and seeing as she wasn't learning her lesson anytime soon, I burnt it."

"What!?" the princess shrieked as Yuelia called them both in. She ushered them to a small corner of the ship and showed them a purple sofa and piles of books with childlike doodles inside them. The blonde girl explained that even though her memories as a little girl are fuzzy, she can still vaguely remember being on the ship with her mother and Noelia and the music scores that were scattered all over the floor are the original version of the Life songs that are sung today. Intrigued, the princess asked Saffron if her and her mother did anything similar. The black haired girl closed her eyes and thought back. She said that she vaguely remembers her mother owning a harp and even though she didn't create songs like other goddesses, she often sung to her children and taught them how to play different instruments.

They left the airship where they regrouped with everyone else. Suddenly, out of the blue, King Erik appeared along with Captain Mustang. Laura was surprised by this, "F-F-Father!?"

' _Your parents sure loves to surprise people,'_ Saffron thought.

"The Great Spirit has told me everything!" the King announced and turned to Hughes, "How's the ship, Hughes?"

"The ship is simply fascinating," Hughes replied, "However, the engine is nothing. I've seen before. I need some time to examine it."

"Then it's settled!" Erik announced, "In one week from now, there will be a summit!"

* * *

 **Finally! It is done. Time to work on the next chappy.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own the plot of Fantasy Life, just my OC Saffron.**

 **Have fun!**

* * *

Chapter 10

"Pam~!" Saffron whined as the landlady was straightening the unwanted creases on her dress, "Don't you think you you're going a _little_ too far?"

"Nonsense!" Pam huffed, "You have been formally invited to the summit. It's only natural to look your absolute best."

' _But does that really mean I have to wear a dress?'_ Saffron thought with a sigh. A week flew by as quickly as the wind and today's the day of the summit. Saffron received her invitation two days ago and within those forty eight hours, Pam has been using her as her personal doll as she dressed her up in all kinds of different outfits she made in her spare time. Eventually, she settled with a black dress with white at the top along with black stockings, black flats and a blue bow tied underneath the dress collar.

"Aww," Yuelia cooed. She was back in her butterfly form as she was more used to it than her real form, "You look really cute, Saffy."

Pam chuckled at her handiwork and winked, "Maybe you can impress lover-boy."

Saffron instantly understood what she meant as her face turned beet red. For the past week, she has been catching up with her childhood friend and purchased small and cosy holiday home in Elderwood. She even took Leilah and Pino to Port Puerto and Al Maajik to show that everything has changed since Pino's last visit. Pam must've noticed this and is now teasing her about it. Saffron glared at Pam and cried, "Shut it!"

The chubby lady laughed heartily and Yuelia transformed into her true form. The girls said goodbye to their landlady before the hurried to the castle where the summit was held.

* * *

"It looks like everyone is here," King Erik stated as he scanned the room. Olivia and Andy was there and so was Deamon, Odin, Pino, Leilah, Saffron and Yuelia. Ophelia and Laura was in the room too as well as Hughes, "Excellent. I would very much like to greet you all but we have pressing matters to discuss: Reveria's future. Yuelia, please explain the details."

"Yes, My King." Yuelia replied with a curtsy. She walked to the middle of the room and calmed her nerves. She then announced in a stern voice, "Reveria is in danger and its destruction is approaching fast. The cross on the Lunares and the frequent Doom Stones sightings are evidence of that."

"But what _are_ the Doom Stones?" Laura questioned, "Where exactly do they come from?"

"They are fallen chunks of the sky," Yuelia explained, "The sky above Reveria is a shell and the land is its core. We all know what the Doom Stones are capable off. If the whole sky falls down…"

"Then the whole of Reveria will be destroyed," Erik finished grimly.

"Exactly," Yuelia confirmed, "Father said that there was no way to save it and I should leave nature to take its course because saving it with the power of wishes- just as my mother did- is no easy feat. But I was determined to save it no matter what. Noelia also wanted to go to Reveria for her own reasons. Eventually, he let us got on the condition that we would come home when there's a cross on the Lunares."

Saffron didn't say it out loud but she figured out that if what Yuelia said was true, she and Noelia have been defying their father's orders as the cross has been on the Lunares for weeks. Daemon then asked Yuelia who is her father which she replied with, "He's…He's the creator of Reveria!"

Everyone apart from Saffron was confused and the red-eyed girl resisted the undying urge to face palm. She couldn't believe everyone was so slow that they need it spelt out, especially Pino since he did meet her older siblings three hundred and thirty two years ago and knows her mother.

' _But even if he didn't know my mother, it should be bloody obvious!'_ Saffron thought before giving out an agitated sigh, catching everyone's attention. She pinched the bridge of her nose while she stated, "What she basically saying is: her father the God of Reveria."

The whole room went silent as it sunk in.

Then, they screeched, "W-WHAAAAAAAAAAAT!?"

"Is this true!?" Laura asked Yuelia who meekly nodded.

Whispers and murmurs filled the room and they talked amongst themselves until Pino cleared his throat and said, "I think it's clear on what we need to do: we need to talk to Yuelia's father. Tell him that as the inhabitants of Reveria, we do not approve of this and see if there's a way to save it."

The others murmured in agreement. They all figured out that since Yuelia is from the Lunares, her father should be there. Hughes mentioned that they could use the Goddess Ship to travel from Reveria to the Lunares and back just like the Goddess herself. The only problem with that plan is that the ship no fuel and in it for it to run, it needs a Floatstone.

"Great!" the King cheered, "Then we shall gather all the Floatstones from all over Reveria."

"Not to burst your bubble, Your Highness," the researcher interjected, "But even if we do collect all the Floatstones from all over Reveria, I don't think it will be efficient enough to make it there and back."

"He's right," Saffron confirmed, "Celestial technology takes up way more power than the technology made by man. If we want the airship to fly, we are going to need a Floatstone with astronomical power."

Andy then suggested that they could try Levitania, an island that has been mentioned is history books but Hughes dismissed it as a fairy-tale. Suddenly, a chubby man with a white moustache barged through the doors yelling, "It does exist, I tell you! It does!"

Yuelia squeaked and hid behind Saffron who was busying recovering from the painful jolt from her jolt. Nobody was expecting this stranger or his dramatic entrance. A couple of guards rushed in and seized the man.

"Excuse me, sir! You are not allowed in the summit." one of the guards said as they dragged the man away. Hughes then explained to everyone that while he was working on the airship, he contacted a few pilots so he could figure out the ship's structure. The old man was one of them and his name was Falcon. The tiny king sighed. They had a lead but they had no idea on where to look and time was running out. He felt a headache coming on, "Alright. All in favour of taking a break say 'aye'."

"Aye!" everyone chorused and the King dismissed them. As everyone went to the refreshment table, Yuelia walked up to Saffron who was enjoying a mug of cold barely juice and said quietly, "Thank you."

"Hm?" Saffron turned to her friend and roommate with a confused face, "What for?"

"Well when I first came to Reveria, no-one would listen to my warning and they only cared for themselves," Yuelia explained, "To be honest, it was all discouraging until I met you. Not only that but you got the whole of Reveria to join together to save this world. You are truly special."

"Not really," Saffron argued, "I'm just a regular person with a longer lifespan than humans. So what's the plan?"

The two girls figured that they should get more information from Falcon and excused themselves from the room. They exited the castle and walked to the garage at South Castele. They found Falcon pouting by the garage doors, mumbling to himself about no-one would believe him. They convinced him that they believed him and asked him for more information. After snoozing through his 'valiant' tale, the girls learn that Falcon used to have students but because of the Doom Stones, they all left him, even his star pupil who always loved to hear a tale or two from Falcon's adventures. Falcon also informed the girls that he last heard from him when he was lodging at Pam's.

They hurried to Pam's estate agency and asked about Falcon's pupil. They learned that his name is Robin and despite the constant praise he got from Falcon, one day he left Castele and that was the last time she saw him.

"Do you know where he might've went?" Yuelia questioned.

"Why yes, dearie. He said he was going to Port Puerto." Pam answered with a cheerful smile

"Port Puerto? Why there?"

"It's a popular place for airships. The kids call 'the port to Reveria's skies'."

Yuelia deduced that if Robin is a big fan of Falcon's stories and is Falcon's star pupil, he might've left to find Levitania and fulfil teacher's dream.

They ran back to the palace and informed King Erik of their findings. Hughes said that even if that was the case, he might not be successful in finding such a place.

"But…But I believe in Mister Falcon." Yuelia argued, "He's telling the truth about seeing Levitania."

' _Even though we both fell asleep when he was telling the tale.'_ Saffron thought.

King Erik thought about this and decided to trust Yuelia's instinct and resume the summit while Yuelia and Saffron gather information about Levitiania. Olivia mentioned that their chief airship pilot, Crankshaft, might know a thing or two about Robin and they would probably find him at Cocina Rica. Yuelia thanked them and changed herself to a butterfly to make herself more comfortable, "Okay, Saffron! Let's go to Port Puerto!"

"Way ahead of you!" Saffron cheered as she was already at the door, eager to leave this boring meeting and go where hopefully no man went before.

* * *

They hopped on Yoru and made their way to Port Puerto. Saffron had no problem finding Cocina Rica as it was the restaurant where she used to cook food during her life as a Cook. They left Yoru to befriend with the turtles and walked to the restaurant. When they arrived, they saw a bulky blonde man who seemed to have trouble standing on his own two feet.

Saffron sighed and asked, "Excuse me, sir. Are you alright right?"

"Huh!?" the man slurred, "An' who are yis?"

' _He's drunk, just my luck.'_ Saffron's mind said.

"This wobbly person must be Mister Crankshaft…I think." Yuelia assumed.

"A wee talkin' butterfly?" Crankshaft asked, "Now I _know_ I drank too much."

"But I am a talking butterfly."

"Do yis really think yis can fool me 'cause I'm a wee bit unsteady on mah feet?"

Then, a young girl with glasses on top of her head rushed to them and glared at Crankshaft, "Dad!"

"W-Wha?" the man mumbled, "Oh, i-it's yis, Aurora."

"You're doing it again," the Aurora scolded, "Making fun of others, getting depressed…its Larkin again, isn't it?"

"Enough!" Crankshaft boomed, "A wee kid like you knows nothing!"

"But dad…!"

Yuelia interjected and explained they she and Saffron came from Castele and is looking for a pilot named Robin. Aurora explained that Robin was currently staying at their workshop and offered to take them there while assuring them that her father will be alright even though he's drunk.

She led them to their workshop and explained that ever since an incident occurred, her father became such a mess that it's hard to tell if he's a famous mechanic at first glance. It was the same for Robin as he originally came to Port Puerto to see Crankshaft but the man refused to listen. Aurora felt sorry for him and let him stay in their workshop and he's been helping out ever since. They went inside to meet a boy with shaggy brown wearing a green hat with googles.

"Who's this?" the boy asked.

"My name's Saffron and this is Yuelia," Saffron introduced herself and her butterfly friend, "We have travelled from Castele and we want to go to Levitania."

"What?!" Robin gasped in disbelief.

"We talked Mister Falcon," Yuelia, "We heard her from him that Levitania exists and that he saw it during one of his flights so we thought that maybe as his pupil, you're searching for Levitania as well, right?"

"You spoke with Falcon?" Robin asked and then smiled, "It's good to know that there are people beside myself who believes old man Falcon's story. You see, most people ridicule him every time he tries to convince them that the island exists. I want to prove them that Falcon is right. That is why I'm setting out to find the island."

Yuelia explained to Robin and Aurora about the world's ending and the Goddess Airship. They believed her and Robin mentioned how another talking butterfly said the exactly same thing and how she's been helping them since she showed up.

"It was thanks to her that we managed to pin down the precise location of Levitania," Robin said, "She be back anytime now."

"I think I know who you're talking about." Yuelia mumbled.

' _Aww,'_ Saffron thought, _'She does care.'_

Then a familiar voice called out from behind, "I'm back! And I'm sooo tired. Mind if you massage my neck…oh wait, butterflies don't have necks."

"Noelia!?" Yuelia cried.

"Yuelia!?" Noelia shouted back.

"You two know each other?" Aurora asked.

"You could say that…" Noelia muttered, "Anyway, what are you two doing here?!"

"We're going to Levitania with Robin." the lighter butterfly stated.

"No fair trying to take our hard work like a leech."

"What work? I had to destroy the Doom Stones as well as get the four lands of Reveria together." Saffron argued with a pout. Noelia told Robin that she made sure that the ship has enough fuel to get there.

"Great job on collecting all those Floatstones!" Robin cheered.

Yuelia was shocked to hear this and turned to her sister an explanation. Reluctantly, Noelia explained that when the negative energy has left the Doom Stone, their powers should allow them to return to the sky. So with that in mind, Noelia has been trying to make a Floatstone out of the Doom Stone shards she's collected. Robin was the one who figured it out and she just happened to appear at the moment. Saffron was stunned to hear that Doom Stones can be converted to Floatstones and wondered if King Erik and Hughes knew of this. Most likely not. Yuelia said to her sister that she still doesn't know why she wanted to go to Levitania so badly.

Noelia sighed and replied, "You see…that's where our mother might've been living in the past."

Noelia then explained that in an old Port Puerto tale, the Goddess vanished from Reveria after saving it from destruction and moved to an island in the sky where she watched over the land that she loved so much. Aurora was quiet this whole time and decided that now would be a good time to speak.

"Um…" she said, gaining everyone's attention, "My dad had a close friend who was searching for Levitania with him. However…there was an accident with one of dad's planes and we haven't seen or heard of him since. That's why my dad is the way he is now. He doesn't even want to _hear_ about the island."

Robin placed a hand on the girl's shoulder and winked, "Don't worry! Men like him won't be broken so easily. He'll be back on his feet eventually!"

Tears swelled up in Aurora's eyes and she quickly excused herself and hurried out of the workshop. Robin was worried and asked Saffron and Yuelia to go and check on while he works on the ship's air frame.

The girls found Aurora at the garage by the sea and asked her what was wrong. The girl took out a necklace she had tucked into her shirt which had a tiny Floatstone on it. She explained that it was a keepsake given to her by her dad when she was little. With it, he promised they would use this Floatstone to get to Levitania. Yuelia asked if they could borrow the necklace. The mechanic was confused as to why they wanted it. It has already lost a lot of floating power so it won't be as much use to them but she gave it to Saffron anyway. She also confessed that she misses him and is scared that the same thing will happen to Robin. Saffron stood next to Aurora and said, "It's normal for one to mourn about the past but if you stay in the past for long, you start to lose sight of the future."

"But-" Aurora started but Saffron wasn't finished.

"Of course, some things are hard to forget and for some people, the past is not easy to leave behind but at the end of the day, what's done is done. You can't change the past. It's best to just…use the experience to help yourself sometime in the future."

"Saffron…"

"Now go and help Robin before I start rambling more nonsense."

Aurora nodded and hurried back to the workshop. Yuelia commented on how wise Saffron's words were and her friend said that she had Reveria to thank for that. If she hadn't have come in the first place, she may never have learned about her past or forgive those who have wronged her. Saffron then asked why Yuelia want to borrow Aurora's necklace and the butterfly explained how she felt a small but powerful wish from it and suggests they should take to Crankshaft. Usually, Saffron would know what Yuelia is trying to do but this time, she was truly stumped.

Surprisingly, he was still at the restaurant and he had enough Barely Juice as he was beginning to feel full. Yuelia decided it was best to get straight to the point, "We need your help to find Levitania."

"Oh don't you start," Crankshaft groaned in frustration, "Everyone has been going on about Levitania! Levitania this, Levitania that. Look, it doesn't exist, okay? If you keep chasing something that's not there then you'll lose something important. So don't ask me about Levitania ever again."

Yuelia stood her ground and insisted, "But I believe a hundred percent that Levitania is real!"

"It doesn't matter," the man countered, "Without me doing maintenance, no airships will fly and that means no-one gets hurt in an accident."

"But-"

"You saw those rocks falling from the sky, right? They're a sign saying that we shouldn't be flying and keep our feet to the ground."

"Even without your help, airships will fly!" Yuelia yelled at him, "In fact, Aurora and Robin have just finished maintaining an airship for its first flight."

Crankshaft seemed surprised that his own daughter was working on an airship. Yuelia went on to say that Robin has doubts that the airship will reach Levitania but either way, he's going to give it his all. Saffron then took this moment to present the mechanic the necklace he had given to his daughter and said that she had kept it after all these years. Crankshaft's face softened as he remembered the promise he made to her. Yuelia told the man that Robin looked up to him and hoped he could learn from him but he ignored him. Nevertheless, Robin didn't whine or complain, he just kept on working on the airship. Crankshaft looked at the necklace and clenched his fist.

"C'mon," he said to the girls, "We've got an airship to finish."

The three of them hurried back to the workshop where Aurora and Robin had given just given up trying on to trying to fix the airframe. The man was honestly astonished at the well-structured offered to help. He returned the necklace to his daughter and the three of them worked on the airship and didn't finish until nightfall.

"Alright, that should do it," Crankshaft said, slapping the dirt of his hands, "Although you two did most of the work."

"There's one seat besides the pilot." Robin informed the group, "Whose coming?"

"Let Saffron go." Yuelia replied with eager excitement, "I gotta admit, I'm rather jealous. I wish I could go."

"Do you know we can go, right?" Noelia pointed out.

"But there's only one seat."

"We're butterflies. We can sit on their shoulders."

The four boarded on the plane and after saying their goodbyes, the plane took off into the night sky.

Saffron looked at the stars in the sky as they zoomed past them. She has never flew in an airship before and she found it more fun than flying with wings. Flutter mention that she was flying through the clouds when she was coming to Reveria which made Saffron just realize something: she somehow crossed from one world to another. As soon as she thought that, a floating island came into view and the ship jolted to a stop. Robin was perplexed and tried all the buttons and leavers to get it up and running again but to no avail. The propeller stopped spinning and everyone screamed as the plane began to fall.

When Saffron came to, it was still night and the stars seems slightly bigger for some reason. Her head ached slightly and her back felt itchy for some unknown reason. The girl sat up and the winced as she felt something small and sharp digging into her palm. She looked at her hand and was shock to find tiny ruby shards stuck on her hand. She immediately felt around her neck and just as she feared, her pendant was gone. Her eyes went back to the shards, "W-What happened? I remember falling but…"

"Saffron!"

Saffron looked up to see who was calling her and saw Robin and Noelia rushing towards her, looking really worried. She asked them where did the land and how did them get here. The two looked at each other then back to her.

"You…don't remember?" Noelia questioned.

"We were falling," Robin explained, "And you sprouted black wings and flew us here before passing out."

"What!?" Saffron shrieked. This was the most shocking news she has heard. She had lost her wings when she fell from the Observatory to Angel Falls two years ago and hasn't been able to get them back since. So why now? She looked around and noticed someone missing, "Where's Yuelia?"

The three looked around, calling the girl's name but there was no answer. They decided to explore the place to they knew where they were and find the missing butterfly. They didn't get far when they came to a view with lots of floating rocks connected by bridges. Robin's face lit up as if he just received the thing he wanted all his life, "We made it! We made it to Levitania!"

"This quite the view," Noelia commented.

Saffron would have agreed with her if she wasn't so worried about Yuelia. Daughter of a goddess or not, Yuelia still had a lot to learn about the world and Saffron could only think of the dangers her friend is putting herself into. She then noticed a yellow Plushling watching them. She got Robin's and Noelia attention as soon as it ran away. They followed it to a small camp where they found their airship. Upon closer inspection, the Floatstone was busted and it was damaged. However someone repaired it. Just as they were wondering who it was, a man with blonde spikey hair greeted them, "Hey there. Welcome to Levitania!"

"Did you repair the ship?" Robin asked.

"I sure did." the man replied, "When the Plushlings brought me this little baby, it brought back all sort of memories and…"

"Wait! Are you Larkin?!"

"The one and only! I'm guessing you work under Crankshaft since you know my name."

"Y-Yes sir!" Robin saluted, "Please come back, sir! Both Aurora and Crankshaft believes that you died from an accident."

Larkin chuckled sheepishly and explained he would've gone back if it wasn't for the fact that he lost his airship. Noelia explained their reason for coming here and asked if there was a Floatstone that is powerful enough of lift up a giant airship. The man stated that they needed a pure Floatstone for that kind of power and although there isn't one nearby, Levitania is a big place so they are mostly likely to find one if they looked around.

"Also…" Larkin added, "There's an old, run-down shack just north of here. It's full of notes that I really don't understand myself. Maybe they could help you find what you're looking for."

Robin instructed Saffron and Noelia to investigate the shack while he installs a new Floatstone to his airship.

The girls left the camp and head north. On the way, Saffron took in the scenery. There were mainly trees, grass and ponds. The night sky hung above them and she took in the gentle breeze that passed her. It made the girl wonder, was her mother really here and if so, was it before or after she was born? Another question popped into her mind and she turned to asked Noelia, "Hey, Noelia. Did your father tell you to take the form of butterflies?"

"Yes." Noelia answered, "He said our mother did the same but he never said why though."

Saffron smiled, "Oh, I get it."

"Huh?"

"Your father probably wanted to protect you two from those who are most likely going to abuse your power or take advantage of you. My family was the same with me and so was I with my younger siblings."

"…Are you and Pino planning to have children?"

"Excuse me!? I said nothing of the sort!"

"But it sounds like it."

"Says the girl who has _extremely_ weird taste in men."

"Why you-!"

Before Noelia can finish her sentence, Saffron stopped her as they arrived at the shack. The butterfly transformed into a girl since the search would quicker and easier if they work together. They entered the shack and the first thing that got their attention was how dusty the place was. There was dust and cobwebs everywhere and most of the floor was covered by notes and books. A cauldron was tucked away in the corner and various tools and pots were lying on the shelves. Looking around, the two came across various diary entries describing the writer's experience on Levitania, its history and his theories on how the disappearance of the Goddess and this island are somehow connect. Saffron picked up a diary and began to read:

' _Long ago, the Goddess somehow saved Reveria from falling rocks, one said to be the same size on an island before she vanished. It was around that time when tales of the mysterious floating island known as Levitania began to float around (pun intended). I have a theory that this very island is one massive Floatstone. To come to this conclusion, one must observe the island._

 _And yet…the Floatstones with the power to levitate, the Doom Stones that fall from the sky and the timing of the island's appearance has led me to a different conclusion. Yes, if one can join the dots together, then the true nature of this island becomes clear. Again, this is too early to say it's most likely. I shall record my musings in this diary in hopes that they will be useful to other in the future_

 _Gladstone Stone.'_

"Gladstone Stone?" Noelia repeated and looked into the book, "Hm, I wonder why it sounds so familiar. What do you think, Saffron?"

"If I recall correctly, Gladstone Stone is Laura's grandfather." Saffron replied, looking at the notes again, "And if these notes are true, then your mother really was on this island."

"You see anything about your mother?"

"Nope." Saffron replied as she closed the book. As soon the papers joined together, there was a loud crash as if something heavy fell from above. Saffron and Noelia rushed outside. Three yellow Plushlings were waiting for them and reported that a dark stone fell from the sky and landed west of here in the Goddess's Forest. It was obvious that it was a Doom Stone and the Plushlings led them to the forest entrance where it was blocked by the Goddess's ancient seal that only the Goddess. Noelia decided to try to lift the seal and succeeded. Amazed, the Plushlings said that she was like her mother.

"Heh," Noelia chuckled, "I'm nothing like my kind-hearted mother, Yuelia is. I'm sorry but I honestly don't care what happens to Reveria. I just want to bring mother's ship back… it's all I have left of her… wait a minute, w-why am I explaining myself to you!?"

Saffron giggled and Noelia flustered face as she pouted. She wasn't angry at what she said, she was actually relieved to know that having goddess blood doesn't necessarily makes you a Goddess. She patted the younger woman's head and headed into the forest.

As soon as they entered, Saffron felt a tingling sensation in her arm where she was bitten and she somehow knew that the Doom Stone was nearby. She heard a growl and look to see a shadow monster.

"Tch, typical." Noelia muttered, "At least we know we're on the right track. Careful Saffron, they look like they can pack a punch."

"Welp," Saffron said to the monster with a sigh and scratched the back of her head, "I would love nothing more to than to stay here and kick your ass but unfortunately, I have a world to save and an airhead to find so…see ya!"

"Wha-" Noelia exclaimed as Saffron lift her over her shoulder. The shadow monster lunged towards them but Saffron jumped forward and bounced of its head as a boost before landing on the ground and running towards the stone's location. They came to a bridge that seemed longer than the others and had a stronger seal. Saffron put Noelia down so she can try and remove the seal but she was unsuccessful as the seal was stronger than the last. Next, a big, blue fuzzy Plushling suddenly appeared behind them.

"Could it be…is that a Fluffkin?" Noelia mumbled, "But what is it doing here? Now that I think about it, I sensed it's presence before. Was it following us?"

"Fluffkin?" Saffron questioned.

"Ah, you haven't seen one before, haven't you? They're actually very gentle creatures. However, they shouldn't be here in Reveria."

The Fluffkin spoke and Noelia seemed to understand it. There was one move seal that needs to be removed before they can move on. Luckily the seal was nearby so after they removed it and returned to the bridge, the girls felt that the seal became weaker. Noelia tried to remove the seal again and this time, it worked. Because the Doom Stone has angered the forest's spirits, Fluffkin won't go with them. The girls thanked the huge Plushling for its help and crossed the bridge.

Suddenly, they heard a scream and Saffron knew that scream all too well. Quickly, she ran ahead and saw Yuelia trying to reason with a big shadow dragon! Of course, being influenced by the Doom Stone, the dragon didn't seem to listening and prepared to attack. Yuelia screamed again and before the dragon could release its shadowy breath, Saffron came in flying through the air and punched the dragon in its face hard enough for it to be knocked off its feet.

"Saffron!?" Yuelia exclaimed in shock and then turned over her shoulder when she heard her sister calling her, "Noelia!?"

"You dummy." her sister scolded, "You should know by now that shadow monsters, especially ones that are influenced by the Doom Stone, do NOT listen to reason."

"B-But-!"

"Honestly, you're such a handful! I wonder if you enjoy getting trouble."

"But I…" Yuelia started but them stopped when she heard something shattering along with a loud roar. Saffron has broken the Doom Stone and has freed the dragon and its babies for its control. Yuelia explained how she was trying to find them and when she end up getting lost, she asked the dragon who then was under control of the Doom Stone. She then remembered something and led them to a cliff where the soft rays of the rising sun shone on a big and beautiful gemstone.

"Look guys!" Yuelia cheered, "I found a Floatstone."

"It's beautiful." Saffron breathed.

"Could this be the Floatstone holding Reveria?" Noelia wondered, "Wait a second. If this Floatstone is making island float and the airship is stranded in Elderwood with no Floatstone…"

"Then this Floatstone is from mother's ship?" Yuelia guessed, "But…why is it here?"

Suddenly, a loud sound boomed from above and the sky got darker. Saffron thought it was going to rain when deep voice said, "I can explain."

"That voice…" Yuelia gasped, "Father! Is that you?"

The God of Reveria, Divinus, seemed happy that his two daughters were safe and sound. He said that long ago, Reveria was in a worse state than it is now and his wife, Celestia, went down there to help and guide the people but her efforts were in vain as the Doom Stones kept on falling and people kept on fighting. She then took the Floatstone her ship and placed it on the Doom Stone, making it float and that was Levitania was made.

Although Reveria was saved, it didn't change the fact that people's lives were ending so quickly due to the Doom's Stone's influence that caused disagreements and fighting. So, instead of returning to the Lunares, Celestia stayed in Reveria teaching humans and monsters alike ways of helping each other.

"She really wanted you two to see Reveria for how beautiful it is," Divinus said to his two children, "She had you in her thoughts and that what drove her to make Reveria as it is today."

"Mother was thinking of us…" Noelia whispered and tears welled up in her eyes.

Yuelia was already wiping away her tears. She was now even more determined to save the world that her mother saved for her, "Mother…"

"I'm sorry to ruin this touching moment," Divinus then said, "But you're time is up."

Yuelia's eyes widened the same time as her sister and looked up to the sky, "Father no! I need more time!"

"I really am sorry but the power connecting the Lunares with Reveria is waning. You have until the next eclipse. You must return by then."

"But father, wait!" Yuelia called out but she couldn't his voice anymore.

Saffron heard the whole thing and wonder what to do now…

" _Look down."_

' _Huh?'_ Saffron thought. Either her mind was playing tricks or she actually heard a voice that sounded a lot like…her father. Just as the voice said, she looked down and saw a pedestal like the ones she has seen all over Levitania and Reveria. She didn't know why but she felt as if she needed to dig and when she dug, she discovered a jewellery box with no lock. She found it strange that a jewellery box had no lock and yet it look familiar. Yuelia and Noelia saw this and watched as Saffron carefully opened up the box and gasped. Inside was a small ruby in the shape of a teardrop with floral designs around it hung by a stripe of red velvet cloth long enough to tie around her neck. Along with it was a folded piece of paper. The red eyed girl picked up the paper and unfolded it. It was a letter:

 _To my dearest Saffron_

 _If you have found this letter then congratulations, you have just proven yourself worthy. "Worthy of what?" you may ask well the answer is simple: not only have you proven yourself worthy enough to be a member of your father's family but you also have proven yourself worthy enough to be a member of mine as well. I'm guessing you are shocked by this news since my mother isn't very fond of you. She didn't approve of me doing this but I did it anyway because you are just as special as your siblings. Picking the right gift for you was rather difficult but your father and his mother happily helped._

 _Now that we got the compliments out of the way, there is something I want you to know. Have you ever wondered where exactly you were born? Sure, we've travelled to a lot of places in your childhood and we had to keep moving from one home to another due to complications but I never told you where you were born. Well, let me tell you a story._

 _Back when I was pregnant with you, neither my mother nor anyone in the Observatory knew that I was carrying you since I was in the early stages of pregnancy. The only ones who knew about it was your father, his family, a few of my friends and the dragons. Honestly, I was very afraid about what would happen if anyone were to find out, especially my mother (since she was mad about my sudden divorce) and Aquila (since he was my friend since childhood). The secret was safe until you started to grow. I made up an excuse saying I was getting lazy and fat but unfortunately, most people knew a pregnant belly when they saw one._

 _So I told them the truth._

 _I told them that I had a divorce with John because I did not love him anymore and how I was carrying a vampire's child. They were not happy and wanted me to get rid of it as soon as possible. But, I did not listen and Aquila went as far as threatening to kill me if I don't 'purify' myself soon. Because of this I decided to run away. I should've done it sooner because on the day (or rather night) I decided to flee was the day I fell into heavy labour. Now, things would've taken a dark turn if it wasn't for a kind Goddess who teleported me to a floating island. I safely gave birth to you with the help of the Goddess, her husband and yellow plush like creatures and stayed there for a few months with your father. Eventually, I was planning to live here and raise you but then, the Celestrians came and took us back to the Observatory and left your father behind._

 _Do you understand now, my dear? This very island that you standing on now is where you were born. This pendant is more of a Ryudo family heirloom than a gift. It's_ _been laying in the Ryudo's treasure room for quite a while and everyone agreed it needed an owner and it would suit you perfectly._

 _Finally, I would like to say that just because you have the blood of five different species, doesn't mean you have to be one of them. You can be whoever or whatever you want to be. You have the right to carve your own fate…as long it's for the greater good and not the greater bad._

 _Live long and prosper my little one._

 _Love mum_

"I…was born here? In Reveria?" Saffron mumbled. She has always thought she was born in the Observatory or somewhere in the stars but never thought of this. Usually, she'd be sceptical about this sort of thing since she was lied to before but this was different as she remembers following her mum to a floating island and watching her bury something. That was this box.

"Saffron! Yuelia! Noelia!" Robin called as he, Larkin and Fluffkin ran towards them, "Are you okay? You didn't return so we went looking for you."

Yuelia explained the situation as Saffron tied the pendant around her neck. Noelia added that this Floatstone is what they need to power the airship and they need to take it back to Reveria. Robin was kind of worried as he speculate that the island will fall if they take the Floatstone. Larkin assured them that that won't be the case as the Floatstone has purified the island over time and it's now creating more Floatstones underneath the soil. Saffron thought for a moment and said, "Robin, take the airship and get Larkin back to Port Puerto."

"Huh?" Robin asked, "B-But what about you?"

"Since we only have until the next eclipse which is not a lot of time and this Floatstone cannot fit that tiny airship, I'm probably going to do the riskiest thing I've done since challenging a dragon to a drinking contest."

"What!?" Yuelia and Noelia screamed.

* * *

Laura was staring out the window of the hall where the summit held. Saffron and Yuelia has been gone a full day and no-one has heard from them. The princess was getting worried. What if Levitania doesn't exist? What if they were stranded in the middle of nowhere and severely wounded with no help nearby? Each scenario that came to mind was worse than the last and she was itching to run out the room and see if she can catch up to them. Then, a blue light came from behind and the woman turned around to see a magic circle forming on the ground. It was similar to the one in Elderwood but with a different design and blue. Then there was a flash and Saffron, Yuelia, Noelia appeared with a large blue Plushling and even larger floating crystal. Laura smiled, "Saffron, Yuelia! You're back!"

Everyone landed on their feet and Saffron panted. She has teleported before but she only teleports only herself and across a small amount of space. When they were on Levitania, she wondered if she could push her limits which led her to teleporting herself, the sisters, the Plushling and the Floatstone from Levitania to the summit. It wasn't as life-threatening as she thought it was however, it was quite tiring and might take some time getting use to for the future.

"Ah, Saffron!" King Erik greeted, "Nice to see you make it back in one piece."

"Your Highness! We found Levitania and this Floatstone proves it." Yuelia cheered.

Noelia explained what they have learned during their time in Levitania and how they have until the next eclipse to save the world and it will be a total eclipse. That means that once the eclipse has been complete, the opening will be completely blocked with np way through, plunging the world in complete darkness.

"What this!?" Falcon boomed as he burst through the doors, "Levitania really exists?!"

"Yes Falcon! Now everyone knows you're telling the truth." Robin replied and apologised to the King for their abrupt appearance. Erik said there was no need for apologise as he was sorry for treating the old man harshly. He then ordered the two to work on the airship as there was not much time.

"Okay, so it's great we got a Floatstone and all," Olivia pointed, "But how are you going to get there?"

"Well we don't know yet…" Yuelia trailed off.

"According to my academic studies," Hughes said, "The sky is kind of like a sphere around Reveria. If we believe the sky is a shell then the Lunares must be…"

"A lid!"

Everyone turned to the new speaker who was surprisingly the former King, Gladstone Stone. Originally, he came here to congratulate Saffron and her friends on their safe return from Levitania but then he eavesdropped on them and decided to make a dramatic entrance. Noelia further explained Gladstone's point, saying the sky is like a spherical shell and the hole is covered by the Lunares which Divinus watches through.

Gladstone smiled and said, "Think of it this way: a hole is a hole."

"You mean like an entrance?" Olivia inquired.

"Exactly."

The researcher then brought up that according to his rough calculations, the Floatstone has enough power to carry the airship with two people. In her mind, Saffron questioned this calculation as he really did nothing but stare at it. Noelia added that she and Yuelia doesn't count as they are quite light. Everyone agreed that Robin should be one of the two and as they were deciding who the second person should be, one by one, their heads turned to Saffron.

' _I REALLY hate it when they stare at me,'_ the girl thought and Yuelia hugged her, pleased that they're going to the Lunares together.

* * *

 **Nearly done!**

 **So hungry -_-'**


End file.
